The Lavender Lilly
by inSANITYweT.R.U.S.T
Summary: Hinata is killed by a Hollow, and is enrolled in the Shinigami Academy. But why can Hinata heal things without meaning to? Why is everyone interested in her? And why can't she stop thinking about a certain Shinigami with silver hair? ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1

Hinata was having that dream again. She was sitting alone on an icy stump that seemed to hold no cold what so ever, and everywhere she looked, she saw snow, stretching on as far as the eye could see. It rose and fell in hills, and there was a sprinkle of leafless trees, but apart from that the land was featureless.

But it was a peaceful land. There was a calmness here that affected everything, settling Hinata's anxious heart. Snow fell slowly from the heavens, and this only made the peace more prominent. There was a soft breeze that ruffled Hinata's short, black hair and tickled her pale skin, and carried the scent of lavender and vanilla to her nose. She had no idea where the smell was coming from-perhaps over the hills?

Hinata loved this icy field. Calm. Quite. Peaceful. It was everything she wanted her life to be, and it was because of this that she couldn't help but smile when she was here.

Hinata's living life was usually a blur, almost a half-forgotten past life, when she dreamed this wonderful dream, but tonight she remembered the waking world vividly. She remembered that the following day would be her birthday, December the 27th, and she would be thirteen years old. She remembered her father's lecture about how hard her life was going to get, and how she will need to hurry and get stronger or risk dying at the hands of her comrades. She remembered crying afterwards, shaken to the bone by her father's words, and the idea that someone at her school might hate her enough to try and take her life.

That was when the wolf appeared.

Hinata was aware she wasn't sitting alone when she felt the wolf's presence, a slight change in the air's pressure, the way the breeze suddenly became colder. Immediately, she spun round on the stump, and found herself face-to-face with the most beautiful she-wolf she had ever laid eyes on.

It's fur was silver, and it seemed to ripple, though the breeze had stopped. Her eyes were a bright, brilliant blue that shimmered in the dim light. Her claws were jet-black and only seemed darker against the pale white of the snow. There were dark blue zig-zags on her sides and they seemed to possess a glow of their own, the colour shifting and gleaming of its own accord. The she-wolf's paws didn't make a sound, though Hinata's clumsy feet always caused the snow to crunch loudly underfoot.

Hinata knew she should've probably been afraid, but for some reason the wolf did not frighten her in the least. Quite the opposite. Happiness swelled within her, and she felt as though she was meeting a friend after years of separation.

**"Hime." **The wolf's words didn't come from her muzzle-they seemed to come from all everywhere, from the snow and from the wind and from the sky. Again, Hinata knew she should fell fear, but the echoing voice seemed perfectly normal to her.

"O-ookami-san." Hinata said politely, with a slight dip of her head. The she-wolf chuckled, and this time the sound came from her muzzle alone.

**"No need to be so polite, child. My name is _" **

Hinata frowned. The last part, the she-wolf's name, hadn't reached her ears. Well, it had, but no in the form of words, but rather in the form of a faint whisper that she couldn't understand. In her confusion, Hinata unconsciously titled her head to one side, and the she-wolf laughed in earnest.

**"Ah...don't look so confused! It's not surprising you can't hear my name...but you will, one day." **She smiled, and Hinata's mind instantly formed the image of a patience woman, a motherly woman, offering encouragement to her bemused child. **"It is impressive you can hear me now. But please continue to come here, even if you can't hear my name. I love seeing you."**

Hinata opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly she couldn't speak and she was being dragged out of the world of dreams. She could a flash of the she-wolf's brilliant blue eyes, and heard her voice carrying on the wind before she woke.

_**Believe in yourself.**_

0-0-0

Hinata was bleeding.

Blood gushed freely from a wound above her eye, blinding her momentarily. She only just saw the enemy, and only just avoided the attack. The area in which she'd been standing exploded in a shower of dust and grass, but the enemy slowed down none, and was running for her with a kunai aimed at her heart.

Hinata activated her byukugan and immediately dropped down, dodging his flailing fist. Then she attacked, pouring her chakra into her palms and fighting for all she was worth. She hit several of the enemy's chakra points and she collapsed into a panting mass, and just when Hinata thought it was over, a little white ball appeared out of no-where and leapt at her face. She let out a squeal of surprise and fell back onto her butt, groping desperately for the ball of fuzz that was attacking her face.

But instead of claws and fangs, she felt a sticky toung running along her forehead, and realized the fuzz ball that had jumped her was Akamaru, and he was licking her forehead, congratulating her while his tail wagged so fast Hinata could barely see it.

Shino appeared beside Kiba-the enemy-and heaved him to his feet. He shot Hinata a lot of bewilderment, but it was quickly replaced by one of pride and amazement.

"That was _awesome, _Hinata!" He exclaimed, his voice a little strained. Hinata realized with a jolt she might have over done it, and perhaps should've held back-then realized that Kiba had hardly ever been affected by her attacks, and so she had never needed to hold back. Sitting up, she placed Akamaru in her lap and looked over Kiba's ragged body with concern. "When did you get so strong!"

"H-huh?"

"You did not realize?" Shino asked in his some-what emotionless voice. "Your strength had increased greatly in the past few days."

"I-it h-has?" Hinata gasped, shocked out of her mind, and Akamaru yipped merrily in her lap.

Kiba grinned. "Yeah, it has! You're amazing, Hinata, and once I can move properly, let's fight again!" His grey eyes flashed, and Hinata flinched slightly, a little scared by his love of combat. She had never liked combat, nor did she believe she would ever came to like it, and this was why she couldn't help but feel shocked by her friends' love of fighting. Even the girls she knew seemed to enjoy it in some way or another, even little Sakura, who had been training incredibly part in the past few weeks. She wanted to be stronger and help Naruto and Sasuke, her team mates, and join in with the battles, just like Hinata did. But Sakura seemed to be enjoying herself, and was beginning to lust for a good fight as much as the boys.

"We must go report to Sensei. She will be pleased with Hinata's performance."

"Damn, Shino, do you have to talk like a robot?"

"I'm _not _talking like a robot. I'm just talking like a civilized ninja."

"A civilized _ninja_? Shino, you can't be a _civilized ninja..._"

Hinata giggled at her friends' silliness and climbed to her feet, stumbled slightly because of the chakra she'd used up. Akamaru bounded after Kiba, his master and greatest alley, and Kiba somehow managed to lean down at pat the snowy white dog, despite the pain in his chest and his need to lean on Shino for support. Hinata felt bad about hurting him, but she also knew it was a good sign-she really _was _getting stronger, and quickly, too!

And all of a sudden her joy and happiness was ripped out from under her, because a second later the air became ridiculously heavy and an evil presence drowned out all of her senses.

The sensory over-load came so suddenly Hinata was forced to stop and breath and calm her thundering heart, for her eyes were beginning to water and she felt as though she would collapse under the sudden weight. Hinata blinked the water from her eyes and looked for Shino and Kiba-and almost gasped out loud when she was they hadn't been affected in the least by the evil chakra.

In fact, they looked completely fine, as though they couldn't sense the evil that was filling the air like some sort of toxic gas. Hinata swallowed hard. Surely, she wasn't imaging this? She hadn't used so much chakra in that brief moment of combat that she was starting to hallucinate? No! There was no way, to use that much chakra would be suicide, and Hinata hadn't felt suicidal in years.

_What is going on?_

And suddenly she had the answer.

A roar split the air, and every hair on Hinata's neck rose. It was the most horrible sound she had ever heard, a sound full of grief and anger and loneliness, all voiced in a shrill shriek that carried for miles. It was like some twisted wail of which Hinata had never heard before. Again. Kiba and Shino didn't notice it, but they _did _notice Hinata was moving and she was sweating like a pig and trembling like nothing else.

"Hinata!" Kiba called. "What's wrong?"

What was wrong? Well, that would be the gigantic monster that suddenly appeared a few metres away from her team-mates, huge and menacing, a face made of bones and a gaping hole in its chest. There were two holes in its skull-like face, and two bloody-red eyes shone, glinting evilly in the sea of black. Its arms were huge and muscular, but they were much longer then its stumpy legs and its hand dragged along the ground as it moved..._towards Kiba and Shino!  
_

Hinata forgot all about the heavy air and was sprinting towards Kiba and Shino in and instant. They saw her alarm, saw it written all over her face, and Shino opened her mouth to question her but Hinata had no time to listen to his words. She just grabbed their shirts and leapt back with all her might. The next thing she new, the creature's gigantic fist was smashing against the spot the two boys had once stood. And the ground exploded.

Kiba and Shino let out cries of alarm.

"What-what the hell was that!" Kiba screamed, scrambled to his feet, only to wince in pain. Hinata's attack had been stronger then he thought, and was still affecting him.

Shino didn't scream anything, rather he rounded on Hinata for an explanation.

"Th-there's a monster, right th-there!" Hinata shouted, jabbing a finger towards where it stood. The monster raised its head and roared again, angry that it's prey had escaped it. Hinata flinched at the sound but managed to hear Shino's reply.

"I don't see anything but torn up ground, but I believe you. We've got to get away!" And he was on his feet in seconds, then he was grabbing Kiba and hissing Hinata's words in his ear. Kiba looked shocked beyond words but after a moment he saw the logic and nodded at Shino before calling for Akamaru. The white dog jumped up into Kiba's waiting arms and the ninja student stuffed him down his jacket.

"Let's get out of here!" He huffed.

Hinata was just about to agree, when she saw the creature suddenly gain speed and race after them. It raised its thick arm as it ran and roared furiously at Kiba and Shino, both of whom _could not see it!_

"KIBA-KUN, SHINO-KUN, LOOK OUT!"

Hinata was barely aware of her feet moving, of her thrusting her hands into Kiba and Shino and pushing them out of the way, seconds before the bolder-sized fist would've crushed them. She was barely aware of the pain that followed, of the blood that she spilled, but the darkness that followed was vivid and very, very real. It scared her, but she let it sweep her away like a leaf caught in the river's current.

And then Hinata's eyes popped open, and she was staring at the sky. For a moment, she wondered if it had all been some huge, insane dream, that she had simply fallen asleep during training and that Kiba and Shino were off sparring somewhere, letting her rest. But the moment her senses kicked in and she felt the evil chakra, she knew that it had been all to real.

She hurriedly climbed to her feet and was about to activate her byukugan when she noticed the chain dangling from her chest. She stared at it for a moment, confused, and then unconsciously lifted a hand to tug it. This resulted in agonizing pain, so sudden and fiery that Hinata couldn't help but scream out loud. Tears sprung into her eyes but she blinked them away and held the rest back, and focused on looking around her.

What she saw was not pleasant.

Kiba and Shino seemed to have forgotten about the monster because they had jumped into a small creator, in which Kiba clung to the slightly mangled body of...Hinata. Yes, that was definitely her. But the left side of her body was crushed, as was her leg, and there was blood everywhere, on her jacket, on her face, in her hair...it was even on Kiba's hands. Kiba was crying in earnest and had buried in his face her shoulder. Shino looked as though he were in some sort of trance, standing on the edge of the creator, his eyes wide and unfocused.

And then it hit her.

_I'm dead._

Hinata's mouth dropped slightly.

_I'm __**dead. **_

_I am really, really **dead.**_

So this is what happened when you died. You past injuries disappear and you're left standing around with a chain dangling from your torso. Brilliant.

Hinata forced herself to look away and searched for the monster. As she scanned her surrounding, she thought she felt the air became a little colder, but she shrugged it off as nothing. After a moment, she was a little irritated, because the monster seemed to have disappeared! Where could it have gone? Was it really done, after killing her and-

And suddenly it was there, and it swatted Hinata's away with its massive paw. She rolled over the grass and came to a painful, awkward half, with one arm trapped under her while the other flopped to the side. She sucked in a painful breath and started to get up, only to have the monster pin her down with the hand it hit her with.

It's grip was tight and hard, and it pushed her into the earth. The pain in Hinata's arms began to build, and soon she was screaming. _Let go! You're gonna break my arm! Let go, let go, let go! _Tears began to flow like rivers down her cheeks and she gave up on squirming, because it only hurt more.

**"You saw me while still alive..." **The monster mused, a faint smirk playing on its lips. **"I couldn't fell your reiatsu under all that chakra while you were still alive, but now I can! There's so much! You're gonna be **_**delicious**_**." **And as Hinata realized what it said and let out a hoarse cry, the monster began to cackle.

_It's gonna eat me! It's gonna eat me! Why? What did I do! I don't wanna be eaten! Help!_

Hinata was struggled to breath now, and she was pretty sure the arm trapped under her had cracked. White dots began to sparkle before her eyes, and she realized she was fainting. That was a good thing, in some ways...she wouldn't feel herself being eaten, then, being unconscious and all...

Hinata saw the monster leaned in, opening its jaws and barring its hundred lines of long, pointed teeth, before she screwed her eyes shut and silently begged to faint. She had never actually asked to faint before, but this was an exception. When she didn't, she just whimpered and waited for the blow to come...

...but it never did.

Instead, Hinata felt the air grow frighteningly cold and she felt ice forming on her cheeks. Seconds later she heard a horrifying cry of pain, and the weight was lifted, and with it the pain of being half-crushed. Her eyes snapped open but her vision was blurred as she sucked in as much air as her lungs would allow and she rolled onto her belly so she could get her arm out of that position. She blinked several times while she panted, hard, and slowly the blurs of shape began solid objects.

And Hinata found herself staring at the monster, expect now it had one arm and a bloody stump, which it was holding. It was hissing furiously at a person that stood between it and its helpless prey, a boy no older then her, wearing a jet black shihakusho and a snow-white haori, holding a nodachi in his hands. His hair was silver and spiked up in all different directions, but that was all Hinata could see of his head, because he was facing away from her, facing the monster.

"I won't let you come any closer, hollow!" The boy growled, and the monster-the Hollow-snarled. It started forward to attack but before it could do anything the boy was suddenly above its head, and he was driving his long blade through the Hollow's skull. His feet touched down lightly on the ground as the Hollow was encased in ice, then it shattered and disappeared, but Hinata was certain she heard a faint cry before it fully materialized.

Then the boy slid the long sword into a just-as-long scabbard that was slung over his back, held there by a dark green sash. He stared at where the hollow had been for a moment longer, then turned round and walked over to Hinata. She saw, then, that his eyes were turquoise, a unique blend of sea-green and sky-blue, and Hinata, despite everything, couldn't help but find those eyes attractive.

"Can you stand?" He asked and Hinata realized she was still lying on the ground. She wasn't sure if she could, so she went ahead and tried, and, though it was slightly painful, found she could do it. She stumbled, though, while trying to take a step, and would have hit the ground all over again if the boy hadn't grabbed her arm. Blushing, Hinata quickly straightened and mumbled a thank you, for both saving from the beast and catching her.

"Don't mention it." He said icily. Then he withdrew his sword again and Hinata's eyes widened in alarm. He noticed. "Don't worry, I wouldn't save you from a hollow and then kill you. I'm a Shinigami, girl, and I'm going to use this to send you to the Soul Society, though I believe you would call it 'Heaven'." She detected a slight scoff when he said heaven, but she wasn't sure what to make of it.

"...W...Will I e-ever see m-my friends a-a-again?" Hinata whispered, and suddenly her chest hurt, but it wasn't a physical pain. Tears sprung in her eyes and though she tried to hold them back she could not. Soon she was crying, and the boy was just standing there, with a slightly bewildered expression on his face. He hadn't the slightest idea how to deal with weeping women. Especially ones that had just _died. _

"...You'll see them again," He promised, and Hinata sniffed loudly, forcing herself to stop and listen. "Once they die, they'll probably come to the Soul Society as well, and you'll be able to spend years talking with them. You will live for centuries in the Soul Society. Your aging basically comes to a stand-still."

Hinata sniffed again. "O-oh..."

He suddenly lifted his sword, and pressed the tsuka to her forehead. Hinata gasped as her weight disappeared all together and a bright light formed around her feet in the shape of a circle, which almost immediately began to suck her inside like some shinning vacuum. She could barely see the silver haired boy through the light.

"Th-thank you!" She gasped. "M-my name is Hyuuga Hinata! Wh-what's y-yours?"

He looked mildly surprised, but answered all the same. "Hitsugaya Toshiro."

And then Hinata was swallowed into the white, and he was gone.

0-0-0

Somewhere on a plain of ice and snow, a blue eyed she-wolf raised her head and smiled.

_**Believe in yourself.**_

_**

* * *

**_

**!I own neither Bleach or Naruto!**

**And I'm done! I do hope you enjoyed that. I had fun writing it :D My first story. HitsuHinata-don't like, don't read. **

**Please tell me what you think ^^ Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 2

_...Where am I?_

Hinata was at a complete loss. The boy with white hair, the shinigami boy, had told her she would wake to find herself in heaven. And heaven was supposed to be a wonderful place full of fluffy clouds and beautiful people with golden wings and curly hair, wasn't it?

What Hinata was nothing like the heaven she'd been told about while alive. It was a dirty, miserable place that resembled feudal Japan, with people wandering around bare-footed and pulling carts. And they all seemed...anxious. Their eyes darting from left to right as though expected top be attacked at any moment, while they clung to their possessions.

The street was dirty, the people were dirty, and everyone was on edge.

_Now _Hinata understood why he said heaven like he did.

Because he didn't even _believe _this _was _heaven!

Hinata let out a soft sigh before walking out of the ally, her steps slow and cautious. The mood of place was affecting her, it seemed, because almost immediately her eyes were flickering from side to side in search of a (possible) hidden enemy. She swallowed and tried to calm her fluttering heart. This was _heaven. _It couldn't be _that _bad...right?

"AHHHHH! LET ME GO! LET ME GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Shut up, bitch, I own you!"

"NOOOOOO!"

Go figure. Hinata whipped round and found herself staring at a big man with a head of curly black hair and tiny grey eyes. His nose was huge and his chin was incredibly square. And his huge, grimy hands were restricting the arms of a girl the size of Hinata, and she looked frighteningly small compared to the man. She was built like a twig. Her arms were scrawny and her legs lacked any strength at all. Her hair very, _very _long, reaching her ankles, and was bright red in colour.

The poor girl struggled against his grip. Her sharp nails didn't leave any marks on his tough skin. And her struggles were meaningless to begin with. There were two other men there, too, and a woman, but she didn't look weak at all. She had muscles as large as Hinata's head and didn't seem to have intention of helping Red-head.

"Stop moving!" Black-hair growled and tightened his grip. Red-head squealed and struggled harder. "I SAID STOP!" He raised his hand and Hinata's heart stopped. He was going to hit her!

Hinata sprang into action. Using all her knowledge of taijitsu, Hinata flung herself forward and appeared beside the men and women before Black-hair had the chance to bring his arm down. And Hinata kicked the man, _hard, _in the shin and allowed herself a small, somewhat-smug smirk when he let out a howl of pain and fell to his knees, clutching his injured knee.

Hinata was small. True. But weak, physically? Wrong!

"You-you bitch!" Black-hair wailed.

Hinata barely registered his insult because the other men, one with a head of dirty-blond hair, the other with an eye-patch, had dived at her the moment they realized she was there. Dirty-blond flashed a knife and jabbed for Hinata's arm. She dodged easily, and skilfully tripped Eye-patch over in the process. Dirty-blond cursed and gave chance as Hinata did some fancy foot work, building space between her and him. He covered it easily, with his long legs, and was attacking Hinata again, his knife sparkling in the sunlight.

Hinata dodged a forward thrust, then grabbed his shoulder and threw herself over him. He stood for a moment, dazed and confused, and though he only stood there for a second, it was more then enough time for Hinata to activate her byukugan and hit the pressure point in the centre of his back. He let out a 'guch!' sound, then stiffened all over and collapsed. Paralysed.

"Shit!" Black-hair scrambled to his knees and snatched Red-head's arm, who had been standing stupefied at the side lines while Hinata fought. At his touch she woke to reality and screamed again and made it as hard as possibly for him to drag her, which was what he was trying to do. Trying to drag her away, away from Hinata's strange eyes, and out of sight.

But nothing escaped the byukugan. Hinata saw his movements through the back of her head and as soon as Dirty-blond was defeated, she was on him like a hawk. She hit several pressure points in order to ensure he wouldn't get up again too soon. He crumbled to the floor and his grip on Red-head vanished, only to be replaced by Hinata's.

"C-come on, let's go!" Hinata ordered, giving her a gentle tug, and she unconsciously deactivated her byukugan. Red-head's emerald eyes sparkled with tears and were dimmed by confusion. She couldn't understand why Hinata had saved her because this was the first time they'd met, and she wasn't sure whether she should trust her.

A roar from Bad-woman decided for her. She risked a brief glance over her shoulder to see the muscular lady racing towards them, her face twisted in rage. She nodded frantically to Hinata, who nodded quickly back and then took off.

Hinata hadn't realized just how fit ninja were till now. Together, they ran through several speeds at a hard pace-well, a hard pace for Bad-woman and Red-head. For Hinata, it was a peace of cake. But the other souls were panting and gasping after a few minutes, and Hinata feared Red-head could faint from exhaustion if she pushed her any further. The girl was clearly under-nourished and as far from fit as you could get.

Hinata took a sharp turn that made the Red-head splutter and found herself staring at the edge of a forest. The road crumbled, giving way to soft dirt before the forest appeared. Excitement shot through her and suddenly Hinata was remembering Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, _her village. _The village in which she would still be had that hollow not picked her and then killed her.

Hinata dashed for the forest and didn't slow down till she was well under the canopy. She slowed slightly and then some more, because she glanced at Red-head and almost cried out loud, she was so shocked by how pale she looked. They needed to stop, and soon, or the poor abused child was definitely going to faint.

Hinata activated her byukugan again. She saw the woman plundering through the undergrowth, but in the _completely wrong direction! _What's more, she looked tired as all heck and sweat ran down her face like rivers. Hinata shut off the byukugan and let out a sigh of relief. Bad-woman wouldn't find them, let alone catch them, for some time.

Just as Hinata began to stop, the trees suddenly thinned and then disappeared all together, leaving them in a spacious clearing consisting of soft green grass and a gentle stream that flowed from one side of the clearing to the other. The clearing rose in a easy hill, barely noticeable to the untrained eye, and a wooden house sat atop it.

"You c-can rest, now." Hinata said gently, and led Red-head to the stream, where she collapsed to her knees and began to scoop up water and lap it desperately out of her hands.

"Th-thank you!" She gasped. "For saving me."

Hinata just smiled. "I-I'm going to l-look a-around the hut."

Red-head looked up, saw the hut, nodded and then went back to drinking. Completely convinced that whatever laid in wait, Hinata could handle. After all, if you could beat up three full-grown guys, one with a _knife, _what couldn't you handle?

Hinata climbed the hill quickly and approached the house slowly, cautiously, and just peered inside rather then walk in. What she saw wasn't pleasant. The room was in total chaos, the table turned over, food scattered around the floor, the doors bashed down. Seeing the food, Hinata realized how hungry she was, and was immediately hit by a stab of hunger. Then she suddenly felt guilty. Thinking about eating, when someone had obviously been attacked!

Hinata wondered if she would find a body, bloodied and beaten, somewhere among the damage. The thought terrified her and almost made her run back to the stream. The thought that kept her feet rooted to the ground was that they needed shelter, especially Red-head, whom Hinata doubted could survive a night under the stars in the dead of winter. So, taking a deep, shaky breath, Hinata forced herself to move inside the room.

And suddenly something hard and heavy hit her with such force that she was sent flying across the room!

She rolled painfully across the floor and came to an abrupt stop when her back slammed again the wall, and she was momentarily dazed with pain. When she blinked and her senses returned, Hinata found herself staring at a woman standing over her, hair wild and grey, with a hunting knife raised over her head!

And Hinata's eyes widened in pure fear as the knife was brought down-

"NO!"

0-0-0

"Welcome back, Shiro-chan!"

Twitch. _Guh. Not that __**name **__again! _Hitsugaya Toshiro looked up from his desk and glared at the brown haired vice-captain that had just skipped into his room, bringing with her a huge, welcoming smile and a sparkle in her hazel eyes. She saw the world through daisies and roses and never stopped to think he might be working and didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment, not even _her. _

Toshiro forced himself not to shout and straightened, forcing his already cramping hand to release the inky bush and place to carefully beside the document he was filling out. The said document was actually about the new found world he had just visited, the 'Ninja World' as it was called, and he had been up to listing the souls he'd sent on when Hinamori arrived.

"Hinamori, I'd told you to _stop _calling me Shiro-chan!" He snapped. "It's degrading." Hinamori just giggled.

"You're too stiff, Shiro-chan!" And she jumped over and placed a sweet kiss on his forehead.

After Aizen's disappearance, Hinamori clung to Toshiro like glue, desperate for the company of someone she was completely at home with, and as the days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months, _this _grew. Matsumoto called it 'romance'. Toshiro called it 'uncomfortable'. He still saw her as his childhood friend, as his Bed Wetter Momo, and whenever she kissed or hugged him, some part of his brain always translated it as friendly. Nothing romantic about it. He knew it was different in _her _mind.

"I'm not stiff." He argued as he pushed his chair and himself out of lip-range. "I just don't want to be known as Shiro-chan for the rest of my life!"

"Okay, okay," Hinamori rolled her eyes. "Hitsugaya-kun, then."

He was tempted to argue but knew this was probably the best he'd get so he settled for sighing in a disappointed fashion and gesturing for Hinamori to sit in the currently unoccupied chair beside his desk. "What did you want to say?"

Hinamori's smile grew. "How was the new world?" She was obviously bursting with curiosity.

He shrugged. "It wasn't very impressive."

"No flying cars?"

"No."

She frowned. "Ahh..."

"Why does that even matter? Hmph, don't tell me. I don't understand how your mind works. Anyway, it wasn't too impressive. But the people were." Hinamori's eyes brightened. "They were Ninja and could preform all sorts of interesting jutsu."

"Like?"

"They could create clones of themselves easily, and I saw some breathing fire."

Hinamori's eyes grew massive. "R-really? That's amazing!"

He just nodded.

And so Hinamori jumped alone the topic line. "Were there any hollows?"

He nodded again. "Only a few, though." His face darkened. "Much less then I expected, seeing as there aren't any shinigami over there...hardly any souls, too..."

"Hmm...Oh! Did you send any souls here?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Only five."

"Remember any?" She looked about ready to dance, just to releave herself of the energy her curiosity was brewing up.

"Four of them were adults in their thirties. But one was just a kid, about twelve or so."

Hinamori's eyes grew wide, but not with excitement. With sadness and disbelief. "Only twelve?"

"Something like that."

"How horrible...What happened?"

"She was killed by a hollow. It would've killed her friends, too, but she managed to save them."

A sad smile touched the vice-captain's lips. "That's a good way to die, saving friends."

Again, he just nodded.

Hinamori was starting to feel depressed, so she once again changed the topic. "What are you filling out?" She tapped the document on his desk.

"A report on the Ninja World. Nothing special."

"So, basically, despite going to the most recently discovered dimension, your day has been boring as all heck?"

"Yeah, basically."

Hinamori couldn't help but laugh. She jumped off the chair and wrapped her arm's around Toshiro's neck and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. He tried to move away but she caught him before he could. She pulled back without noticing his reluctance, and gave him a little wave as she skipped out the door.

He swallowed. He didn't love Hinamori. He knew it. But did Hinamori love him? How long could he go on, lying to her and letting her kiss him, when it made him feel dirty? He sighed and picked up his pen. When in doubt, it was best to loss yourself in the annoying and painstakingly large work of paperwork.

And then he felt it.

The brush fell from his hand and his head snapped up instinctively. _He'd felt her!_

0-0-0

Hinata let out a gasp of shock and Red-head balled into the old lady and knocked her over. The two wrestled violently on the wooden floor and Red-head managed to rip the knife out of the old woman's rip and throw it away, where it lay useless on the floor. But the woman was stronger then she looked-where as Red-head was as weak as she looked-and hit the girl in the stomach with her feet. Red-head flopped back and gasped as the wind was knocked out of her.

The old woman scrambled to her feet, staggered, and then let out a hiss of pain. Hinata's lavender eyes widened as she saw that the old woman was wounded, a bloody, but not fatal, gash on her side and...and ice cutting into her palm? How had that gotten there?

Hinata didn't have time to wonder because the old lady charged at her, screaming in rage. Hinata jumped to feet and caught the lady's fist, a fist that had been aimed to punch her jaw, and held it tight so the woman could not pull away. She did the same with the next punch and forced the lady to listen to her.

"P-please, stop! We're n-not here to h-hurt you!"

"I don't believe you! You stupid bandits, you can't take my food! I need it! You can't have it!"

"Please!" Hinata was aware of how desperate to sounded. "Please calm down! W-we won't t-take you f-food! Please, miss, please!"

Somehow, Hinata's words seemed to reach her. The old lady's breathing began to slow and she visibly calmed, her shoulders sagging and her strength disappearing. Suddenly her legs gave way and she fell to her feet, gasping and sweating. Hinata dropped to her side.

"A-are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

The old woman nodded. "Y-yeah."

Hinata nodded and then looked for Red-head. She was crawling towards them, her arms shaking slightly. "Are you o-okay?"

She just nodded when she reached them, too exhausted to speak.

"Miss," Hinata began, turning to the old lady. "May I m-make some s-sort of m-meal...? M-my friend is..."

"Go ahead." The old lady mumbled, her small blue eyes falling over Red-head's small frame. "She needs it more then I do."

"Th-thank you." As Hinata stood to fetch some ingredients, she heard the said red-head mutter something too quiet for her to understand. When the Red-head saw her questioning look, she managed to raise her voice.

"Kimi. My name is Kimi."

* * *

**!I own neither Bleach or Naruto!**

**Hello, and Merry Christmas! Thank you so much for the reviews. I couldn't believe I'd gotten six only a day after posting, and I'm glad you all like the way I write *happy face* I hope you enjoyed chapter two.**

**I apologize to anyone who dislikes original characters (OC). But I didn't want to have all these Naruto characters suddenly dying and tagging along with Hinata, so I decided OCs would be better. **

**I also apologize to HitsuMori fans. I have nothing against HitsuMori, it's just how I _think _Hitsugaya-kun would react, as Hinamori-san is his childhood friend. And plus, I don't really like them as a couple -_- **

**Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Taichou? Where are you going?"

Toshiro paused mid-way through the door and turned to face his beautiful vice-captain, Matsumoto Rangiku. Matsumoto was probably the most beautiful (and sexiest) woman in the Soul Society, with her wavy blond hair, piercing blue eyes and impressive figure, namely her bosom. But she was also probably the laziest woman in the Soul Society as she continuous found ways to get out of doing her work and always managed to thrust it upon poor Toshiro.

"Rukongai." He said flatly. He wasn't lying...exactly.

"Why?"

"To visit Granny." _Now _he was lying.

Matsumoto rolled her icy eyes. "Taichou, it's almost four! Granny's probably asleep!"

"I'm still going. I'll be out for a while, so get started on some paper work."

"But-"

"Not buts, Matsumoto! I expect to see at least half of that pile completed when I returned."

Matsumoto's bottom lip trembled and she looked as though she wanted to say more, but a stern look from her captain destroyed whatever protest she'd had planned and she gloomily turned to the desk. She took one look at the mountain of paper work and exclaimed: "I need a drink~"

"Later, Matsumoto. Now _start._" He waited till Matsumoto was seated and selecting a report to begin before darting out the door.

In the fleeting few seconds in which _her _reiatsu had flared, the young captain had been able to pin-point it's location and planned to find her. She couldn't wander around with that kind of power bubbling inside her. She'd end up hurting someone or maybe killing someone and though he had seen her but once he knew she wouldn't be able to bare taking another person's life. Especially by _accident. _

What was her name again...? Toshiro's thin eye brows met in a furrow of concentration. Haru? Hanabi? Hanako? Hinata...Hinata was it. Hyuuga Hinata.

0-0-0

"My name is Ahiko, and I've lived here for as long as I could remember."

The room was no longer in a state of chaos. Hinata had cleaned it up quite thoroughly, and now that table sat upright and the food was packed away and the front door sat properly on its hinge. Hinata could do little about the destroyed doors that lead from one part of the small house to the next, so she'd settled for clearing the space and leaving a gap in the door's place. And now all three women were sitting around the table, spilling tea and chewing sushi, both made by Hinata. Ahiko, the old lady which had attacked the said Hyuuga, had begun to explain her situation.

"It was a mere hour before you two arrived...A gang of the most unruly, disgraceful youths banged down my door and stormed my house. They just knocked me aside and ignored me, treated me like dirt!" And she pounded her fist again the wooden table. Both Kimi and Hinata flinched at the sound. "I could do nothing to stop them. They took as much food and money as their filthy hands could carry and then disappeared into the trees. I hope they stay there!"

"Toshimori was part of a gang," Kimi said and Hinata shivered at the memory of the filthy, black haired man that had bought Kimi from Eye-patch and Dirty-blond. Hinata still liked to think of him as Black-hair, because giving him a name meant giving him personality and making him human, and Hinata didn't like to think that there were humans as bad as here in heaven. "They steal from people all the time!"

"Do they? Well, I hope he doesn't come looking for you." And as Ahiko took a long slip of her tea, Hinata swallowed down a gasp of fear. What if Toshimori _did _come looking for Kimi, the red-haired woman whom he claimed to have ownership of. Hinata had managed to easily defeat two of his men and outrun his woman, but could she protect these two from a whole _gang_?

But she was getting ahead of herself. There was no actually _proof _that suggested Toshimori belonged to the gang that had attacked Ahiko and stolen her belongings. Just because Toshimori was a bandit and stole from numerous peoples, didn't mean he'd stolen from Ahiko. Still, Hinata couldn't control the anxiety boiling within her so she took a hasty bite of her sushi and washed it down with a gulp of tea.

"It is getting late." Ahiko commented as she gazed at the sky.

Hinata looked, too, and saw with mild surprise the sky was beginning to darken. "Wh-what time is it?" She wondered aloud.

"About fifteen past four." Ahiko answered. Then she turned to the two youths and smiled. "You two can stay for as long as you wish. I get lonely here, all by myself. And a lonely old lady always means trouble."

So Ahiko told the two where the futons were _supposed _to be, and Hinata and Kimi reluctantly moved from their comfortable positions to fetch them. Finding them relatively undamaged, the girls moved them to the pain room and spread them out randomly in whatever space they could find. Hinata prodded them all and once she found the softest one, she led Ahiko to it. Then she took Kimi to the second softest and then took the uncomfortably stiff on for herself. Or perhaps it wasn't stiff. As Hinata's Hyuuga Clan was rich among the rich she had always had a beautifully soft bed to snuggle up in with silk sheets and a mattress like velvet. Perhaps she was being too picky when she called the futon 'stiff'.

Exhaustion took her quickly. Hinata hadn't realized how tired she was and she welcomed sleep with open arms.

0-0-0

"**Hime**."

Hinata's eyes popped open and she found herself standing on the plain of ice and snow. She was bare foot and clad in a simple kimono that was ridiculously thin and made for sleeping purposes only, but she didn't shiver at all. A few feet away the she-wolf sat, her beautiful silver fur rippling in the gentle breeze and her eyes blazing like blue suns.

"Ookami-san!" Hinata exclaimed, suddenly over-joyed. She hadn't seen hide nor tail of the pretty she-wolf since her death. Not that she'd really stopped to think about her because of everything that had been happening, but now Hinata realized just how strongly she'd missed her four legged friend. "I-I m-missed you so m-much!"

"**And I you, child. It's good to see you again, and smiling, too, after everything that's happened.**" Her face dropped slightly. "**I'm glad you're alright.**"

Hinata tried to smile but failed miserably. That day, the day that she had died, seemed so long ago. But in reality it had only been a few hours since her death, and already so much had happened. She hadn't thought about it, just as she hadn't thought about the she-wolf, but now the memories came flooding back like a tidal wave. She remembered Kiba and Shino and Akamaru, her precious comrades. She remembered Sakura and Ino and Tenten, her precious friends. And she remembered Naruto, her precious crush.

Hinata sniffed loudly and held back tears and balled her fists. She sucked in as much icy air she could, struggling to contain herself. Ookami-san watched her with sympathetic eyes.

"**Look around, Hime.**" She instructed.

Hinata blinked the tears out of her eyes and nodded before obeying. She allowed her eyes to wander...and then gasped in surprise.

Her featureless world of ice as not as featureless as she remembered. There trees had sprouted leaves but they were like no other she had seen. They were a icy blue colour and shimmered in the dim light. Flowers, small but determined, were popping up here and there and growing stronger even as Hinata watched. Either a small lake or a large puddle had formed not three metres from where the she-wolf sat and the water gleamed and sparkled like diamonds. Hinata forget her tears and stared, startled by the beauty. Everything seemed so much more...brighter.

Ookami-san chuckled. "**Beautiful, isn't it? This is what your Inner World is supposed to look like. Or it's getting there, at least. The only reason it was so featureless before it because you were, well, alive.**"

"B-but why?"

"**That will be explained in due time, Hime.**" She promised. And suddenly she was serious. "**But there is a more important matter we need to address.**"

"...Wh-what is it?"

"**Someone it trying to break into your Inner World.**"

Hinata wasn't really sure what this Inner World that the she-wolf kept talking about was, but she was bright enough to understand that someone trying to force their way into it wasn't a good thing. "Wh-who...?"

"**I don't know, but I can hear their voice. It's faint and whispery, but I can hear it all the same. It speaks of horrible things, Hime, and I fear for you. I need your help to keep it away!**"

Hinata nodded and though she was a little frightened of this unknown intruder she was determined to help. "Wh-what do you want me t-to do, O-Ookami-san?"

"**I want you to-**"

A glass-shattering scream sliced through Hinata dreams like a sharp knife, and all too quickly Ookami-san and her icy world vanished without a trace.

0-0-0

Hinata was jolted out of sleep by a hard kick to the gut. She gritted her teeth against the pain and forced herself to look up, up into the twisted face of a man she had seen before...the face of Eye-patch!

Hinata saw the short-sword glinting in the moonlight and only just managed to roll aside in time to avoid having her throat cut. Eye-patch howled in fury and sped forward, hands flying, aiming to hurt with the knife, to _kill _with the knife.

Hinata jumped backwards to put space between them, only to find herself backed up against the wall. She muttered a swift curse then dropped down as Eye-patch thrusted the knife towards her head. The blade slid into the wood but stayed there no matter how hard the man pulled, and his mistake gave Hinata time to kick his feet out from under him. He collapsed to the ground and before he could rise Hinata's foot made contact with his gut several times, then her hand snaked under his scarf and jabbed the pressure point at his neck. The man's eyes glazed over and he fell unconscious.

With that over, Hinata took a deep breath and looked around. It was about midnight, if the sky was anything to go with. The room was trashed again, and Kimi and Ahiko were no where to be seen. Two people lay unconscious on the ground, one guy with a bleeding head and one girl with a knife in her side. Hinata's stomach churned uncomfortably but she bit down her disgust. These people had attacked them. They had every right to fight back!

And suddenly someone was wailing, and Hinata immediately recognized the voice as Kimi's. Then she heard Ahiko screeching protest, only to be cut off with the sound of a slap. Hinata cringed. Her father had slapped her many a times and she knew how painful it could be especially if the slapper was bigger then you. And Ahiko was a small woman, and an old one at that.

Hinata darted to the door but didn't leap out, no, she crouched in the shadows and stared in horror at what she saw before her.

Ahiko was being restrained by some evil looking woman with wild black hair and crazy green eyes. Another plump lady with stumpy purple hair and muddy browns eyes had slapped Ahiko, and Ahiko's nose was gushing blood and her eyes were glazed slightly. Not far away a man was holding down Kimi, who was screaming thrashing like mad, and Toshimori stood over her with a smug look on his sickly face.

Hinata could hardly believe what she was seeing. Toshimori _had _been a member of the gang that had attacked Ahiko! The Bad-woman must've realized where Kimi and she had been heading, and had run back to tell Toshimori, Dirty-blond and Eye-patch about it! That was why they ere here now, why Ahiko was bleeding badly and Kimi was being subjected to cruelty once again...

_What am I going to do? _Hinata thought desperately. Aside from Toshimori, the two women knew Ahiko and the guy holding Kimi, there were several others just standing close by. Several other strong looking men and women. Several other mercilessly men and women. Altogether there was about eleven. And they had hostages. All they needed to do was put a knife to someone's throat and yell 'Freeze, or she dies!' and Hinata would be at their mercy.

_Urg! What am I going to do!_

"Let me go!" Kimi shrieked. She tried to punch her captor in the nose but he held her arms steady. "I said let me go!"

"A repulsive, persistent little brat as always, Kimi-chan." Toshimori said, and he and his gang laughed in earnest. Hinata didn't see the humour.

Suddenly Toshimori stopped laughing and immediately the rest of his gang fell silent. His beady black eyes focused on Kimi's, but she refused to meet his gaze. Out of fear or defiance, Hinata wasn't sure. "Where is she?" Toshimori asked icily. "Where is that ugly little brat that beat up Koji and Tsuaka? Where is she!" And she kicked Kimi hard in the face and the red-head let out a squeal of pain.

Hinata could take it no longer. She jumped from her hiding place and sped forward, activating her byukugan as she went. The plump woman with Ahiko saw her first and dived at her, drawing a hand blade in the process. Hinata drew a kunai from her sleeve and the two weapon met with a silver sparkle and the metallic hiss of clashing metal. The two pushed the weapon close a split second then with drew apace, and then attacked again.

Plump-woman aimed a kick at Hinata's head but she ducked to the side and flashed forward, her byukugan searching for the best pressure points. The woman growled in a most dog-like fashion then started on a seemingly endless assault of punches, but Hinata skilfully grabbed her arm mid-punch and the woman let out a gasp of pain. Then Hinata hit her middle, her stomach, and moved onto the next opponent as the woman fell to the ground.

Two men attacked her simultaneously. One with a curved hunting knife aimed for her head, while the other with a long, thin blade headed for her legs. Hinata propelled herself off the ground and slid through the gap with speed and skill she hadn't realized she possessed. The men staggered to a halt but Hinata was already lunching in for another attack, and hit the man with a hunting knife in the back of the head, knocking him out immediately, and jumped back to avoiding the long, sharp blade of the other man.

"You stupid gaki **(brat)**!" He snarled savagely. Hinata curled her lips in disgust when she saw his slimy yellow teeth.

Yellow-teeth darted forward and began a series of powerful but somewhat awkward attacks that Hinata blocked with her black kunai. The awkwardness of the blows made them easy to block, but the power they held made it hard to keep her hand in place. She found herself wishing she had a sword. Then she could use two hands, one against the hilt and one against the dull side of the black. Then her arms wouldn't shake or her hands ache with the effort of keeping the weapon steady.

Hinata's byukugan searched his body for pressure points. She found several that would cause him little pain but knock him out instantly, and just as she began to form a plan arms wrapped around her neck and she was pulled backwards against some guy. His thick, muscular arm restricted her wind pipe and for a moment she couldn't breath. The kunai slipped from her hand and Yellow-teeth slashed her arm with his blade. Hinata would've screamed in pain had she the air to do so.

"Ah, so the gaki decided to reveal herself." Toshimori said, a little to late. Hinata clawed desperately at the arms choking her, but they only moved when Toshimori gave the signal. Well, they didn't move. The pressure just lessened and Hinata could breath again.

Hinata risked a glance at her captor and saw he was the guy she'd seen unconscious in the room, the guy with the bloody head. Ahiko had probably smacked the said body part with a cooking pan or something, and knocked him out momentarily. There was a little tried blood and a painful looking bump on his forehead, but that aside he looked completely fine.

"Welcome back, Junichi." Toshimori said pleasantly.

"I apologize for falling unconscious." Junichi, the man holding Hinata, said in the most emotionless voice Hinata had ever heard in her short life.

Toshimori waved a hand to say it did not matter before grinning slyly at a very helpless Hinata. Her byukugan had deactivated itself when Hinata's air had been restricted, but the Hyuuga didn't need it to see the man's greedy eyes travel up and down her body. Slowly. Like he wanted her to notice. And Hinata was sure after she pulled a face of disgust and fear that he had accomplished what he set out to do.

"You little bitch, you're a lot stronger then you look. It's a pity we'll have to kill you." And Yellow-teeth grinned crazily beside her and Hinata couldn't help but glance at his bloody blade. "But before we do that, you _will _watch us kill this old bag," He pointed at Ahiko, "and this little slut," He pointed at Kimi, who whimpered. "and you _will _listen to them scream. I do hope you enjoy yourself." And then he gestured for the woman holding Ahiko to set things in motion.

The said lady threw Ahiko onto the ground with a gleam of excitement in her green eyes. She then drew a blade from god knows where, and drove it into Ahiko's arm. The old lady screamed in pain but did not resist. She was too weak and had lost too much blood to even try. Hinata's eyes grew wide.

"Stop it!" She shrieked and she started to struggle again Junichi's grip, but the man was built like stone. He refused to budge even the slightest inch. "Stop it!"

Crazy-lady didn't listen. She just laughed cruelly and pulled out the knife and then slashed Ahiko's arm again. It wasn't a deep cut but it would've hurt like hell all the same. Then Hinata heard Kimi scream and saw the guy holding her was running a knife along her shoulder. Tears slid down her cheeks like rivers and she was begging them to stop. Hinata started to cry, too, and she kept struggling and she kept screaming for them to stop, but she knew it was meaningless. It was over and she knew it. They could win, not against so many...

And suddenly something shifted in Hinata and her heart skipped a beat as Junichi hissed in pain. Hinata glanced down to see ice forming on his arms and legs and on the grass they stood on. And then she realized _she was doing it. _There was a power inside her, and that power wanted to be released...was it Ookami-san? The beautiful she-wolf that ruled the glittering land of snow and ice? It had to be!

Hinata was sure she saw the other bandits flinch but before she could confirm it, something evil and dark seeped into her...and pain came with it. The feeling of power vanished to be replaced by something sticky and evil and cruel. Hinata screamed and suddenly she wasn't aware of the world around her, only the horror that was seeping into her, and she started to thrash again. She kept screaming but not for the bandits to stop but for the evil to go away, to leave her alone...

"Get away from her!"

Suddenly Hinata snapped into reality as the temperature dropped several degrees. Junichi abruptly released her and was sent flying by a swift kick to the face, and he hit the ground, hard, a good ten metres away. He didn't rise.

Hinata let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and crumbled to her knees. She was shaking all over. The evil presence was gone but the memory of it and the pain it brought still remained. What the hell had she felt? She didn't want to know. She just never wanted it to come back again...then she felt a reassuring hand clench her shoulder and she looked up...

...into the face of Hitsugaya Toshiro.

Her lavender eyes widened. "T-Toshiro-kun?" She whispered.

"Are you alright, Hyuuga?" He asked seriously.

She just nodded. And then he was gone.

Hinata wasn't even able to follow his movements, but within seconds the seemingly all-might army of dagger wielding bandits had been destroyed. They all lay together on the ground, groaning and moaning, some adoring several cuts, others just severe bruises. Their seemingly horrible weapons now lay snapped and shattered in a pile not far away.

Kimi had fainted, so Toshiro picked her up and...disappeared and reappeared inside the house. He laid her down on a futon and quickly healed her wound. It wasn't deep, and even with his limited knowledge of healing kido, he was able to fix her easily. Then he saw to Ahiko. The slashes were easy to fix but the hole in her arm was more difficult, and he informed Hinata he would have to continue healing it tomorrow. He was able to heal Hinata's wound, but it was deeper then Kimi's and took a little more time.

As he lead a trembling Hinata to her futon (which had changed from the stiffest to the softest, though she didn't realize at the time) she suddenly realized something. "Y-you're st-staying the night?"

"Of course." Toshiro said simply. "I can't leave Ahiko alone with a wound like that. And there might still be more near by. If I leave, they'll come and kill you."

Hinata shivered. She couldn't argue with that. So she let her exhausted body drop like a stone onto the futon. "Wh-where will y-you sleep...?" She asked sheepishly. She was already drifting into the world of dreams.

"That doesn't matter." Toshiro said, and though Hinata would've liked to argue, she was too tired to care. A moment later she was slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

0-0-0

"What's wrong, Aizen-taichou~"

The room in which Ichimaru Gin entered was completely void of light save for the tiny, palm-sized ball that shimmered as brightly as a sun. The light was a mixture of purples and pinks and whites and blues and greens and the glow it gave off could change from pretty to sickly in a heart beat. In front of the glowing ball stood a tall, fit man with a head of silky brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. One curly strand of hair fell between his eyes.

"Nothing, Gin." Aizen Souske said as he stared greedily at the glowing ball. Below its surface a face swam, faded and flickering, but a face all the same. Lavender eyes met his brown ones. "Everything is absolutely perfect."

* * *

**!I own neither Bleach or Naruto!**

**Hello again! Ultra quick update! Enjoy it~!**

**So, Aizen finally makes his appearance. You knew, right? That Aizen was gonna _have _to pop up somewhere, other wise who would the bad guy be? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter~ Because I know I did. Hinata kicks butt!**

**Thanks for reading :]**


	4. Chapter 4

A raven.

It's feathers were sleek and black and remained completely still despite the hot, humid wind that blew. The building it sat upon was black and crumbling. Fire licked at its base. In fact, there was fire everywhere, devouring everything and everyone, expect the little girl that stood alone in a clearing, a clearing created by a ferocious ring of fire.

_Where am I? _Hinata thought frantically. The air was suffocating and her eyes watered. The sky was black with ash. Her mouth was dry and her throat was like razor blades when she swallowed. She was wearing tattered and torn clothing that was three sizes to big and a muddy brown clock swirled around her. It was torn all along the bottom.

The raven blinked at her. Its eyes were bloody red and Hinata could see herself reflected in its jet-black pupils. It almost looked as though it wanted to speak.

Hinata's lavender eyes were distracted from the raven by a shadowy shape appearing just beyond the fire. A man, it seemed, but she couldn't see his face. He was wearing white, though, and a sword was tied to his belt.

"Wh-who are you!" Hinata screamed. "Wh-what do you want!"

He didn't answer, but the raven let out a shrill shriek and suddenly the dream shattered.

0-0-0

"Oi, Hyuuga!"

Hinata's eyes snapped opened and she found herself staring into Toshiro's face. His eyes were narrowed and a concerned light sparkled in their depths. It took Hinata's half-asleep brain a moment to realize he was bending over her, and that he was...pretty...close...

Hinata's cheeks burned crimson and she hurriedly rolled away, only to get tangled up in her blanket. Her blush darkened and she wondered why the hell she was so embarrassed. She hardly knew the guy! Or was it because she hardly knew the guy that him being close made her blush so crazily?

"Oi..." Toshiro appeared beside her and helped the startled teenager out of her blanket cocoon. Once on her feet, Hinata took to staring at them in a vain attempt to conceal the worst of her blush. "What were you dreaming about?"

"E-eh?"

"I heard you mumbling something so I came inside to check on you. Then you started yelling so I woke you up."

"Oh!" Hinata gasped, then looked around. Had she woken Ahiko or Kimi? But neither women were there and both futons had been folded up neatly and placed by the door beside one another. Hinata let out a soft sigh of relief. For a faint, horrifying moment she thought they'd been attacked again.

"Don't worry, they're just outside." Toshiro informed her.

"Th-thank goodness..." Hinata mumbled and the words had left her lips before she'd even realized it. Hinata went back to staring at her toes, and she was glad Hitsugaya had skipped right on past the dream subject. Seeing her worry seemed to have made him forget...for now. She wasn't really sure what happened herself. But she hoped it had just been some random dream like the ones she'd had when alive, and it wasn't nothing mystical like with Ookami-san.

"So, how do you like Heaven so far?" Toshiro asked suddenly.

"Huh?...Oh, um, i-it's n-not as g-good as I t-though it w-would be..." She admitted, twiddling her thumbs. Damn, and she'd been defeating that habit! Just why did this guy make her feel so self-conscious?

"Hmph. Look, Hyuuga, I have something I need to discuss with you."

"Eh?" Hinata looked up in surprise. "D-discuss with me?"

"Yes," He confirmed, and Hinata was startled at how serious he sounded. "It's about your reiatsu level."

"R-reiatsu? Wh-what's that?"

Hinata could've sworn his eye-brow twitched. "It's basically a spirit's version of chakra. And yours is incredibly high and could become very dangerous if you don't learn how to control it soon." When Hinata met this statement with a puzzled look, he sighed and lunched into an explanation. "Hyuuga, reiatsu isn't anything _like _chakra. It's highly unstable. If you loss control of your reiatsu, you can kill somebody weaker then yourself and you won't need to channel it in any sort of way to do that."

Hinata's lavender eyes widened. "I-is my r-reiatsu r-really that d-dangerous...?"

"If you allow it to be. But if you learn to control it, like I said, you won't hurt anyone. So I'm going to help you keep it under control until I can get you enlisted into the Shinigami Academy."

"...Huh?" What was he talking about? Shinigami Academy? When did Hinata say she wanted to become a shinigami? She wasn't even completely sure what a shinigami was, and yet he expected her to do as he said?

"It's the best choice." He explained and his eye-brow twitched again. "You _need _to learn how to control your reiatsu, and you can learn how to do it properly at the Shinigami Academy. But you can also learn to defend yourself better, and if you're on Shinigami level bandits will think twice about attacking you."

Now _that _did sound appealing, but Hinata couldn't help but feel anxious. Could she really just join this Academy on such short notice? After all, it was winter and the school year must've been coming to a close. Would she have to wait until next year before attempting to join? More so, how _did _one join the Shinigami Academy? There had been only paperwork to fill out in Konoha, and that had completed in a matter of seconds, her father's hand flashing across the page. Would it be the same here?

_So many questions so little time, _Hinata thought bitterly.

"Come outside." Toshiro instructed, and without even waiting to see if his order was followed he disappeared out the door. Hinata hesitated, but in the end decided to follow him. After all, if her reiatsu was really as dangerous as he claimed, how could she go on living here if that meant she would hurt Ahiko or Kimi?

There was no trace of the bandits outside. Not a single fragment of their shattered weapons remained and their bruised and battered bodies had been removed. Ahiko was standing by the trees with a basket tied to her arm, and she was steadily filling it with bright red berries. She looked a little pale but other wise completely fine. Kimi looked good as new and was sitting about ten metres away in an area where flowers bloomed like crazy. Hinata hadn't noticed it before and was itching to join her but she knew she had more important things to do at the moment, so she forced her feet to stay still.

"Let's go around the back." Toshiro suggested, and Hinata nodded in agreement.

They quickly moved around to the back of the house. Once there, Toshiro muttered some incantations under his breath and suddenly the area in which they stood was cut off from the outside world by a gigantic orange see-through box. Hinata tapped the side and gasped as the surface rippled like water.

"It's called Kido," Toshiro explained as Hinata stared in awe. "If you go to the Shinigami Academy, you will learn how to cast things like this."

"Wh-why did you c-cast it?"

"To protect Ahiko and Kimi from your reiatsu, because they would've still been affected even if we're standing so far away." He explained and Hinata nodded. She couldn't help but be impressed by his brains.

"Wh-what do you w-want m-me to do?"

"I want you to focus on the power inside you." He answered, and Hinata titled her head to the side. "You will feel it, trust me. You've already used it."

Hinata nodded again. She still felt painfully confused and realized there hadn't been a moment since she'd woken that she _wasn't _confused. She wondered if this was how it was going to be forever, Hinata out of her mind with confusion and Hitsugaya explaining all the answers. She hoped not.

Hinata closed her eyes out of habit. She had always done that went summoning her chakra, and Hinata wondered if this would be anything like bringing chakra out. She focused long and hard and searched her soul for the power Toshiro spoke of. Then she felt something twitch inside her, a creature of some kind, and she pictured a wolf, dark at first, but slowly and steadily the picture filled with light.

And suddenly Hinata was overtaken with a strength she didn't know she possessed, and she felt as though she could fly. The blackness behind her eyes vanished and gave way to the icy landscape were Ookami-san lived, and everything was more vibrant. There were more flowers and more trees and the lake had grown. She was standing on its bank, and stared into the watery depths. Hinata could see herself on the surface, and saw she was glowing a faint purple colour.

Then she felt something grab her shoulders and shake her. She tried to ignore it. She didn't want to release this power, didn't want to return to the real world. She felt so alive! She felt so powerful, the complete opposite of what she'd felt the night before! Why should she go back?

She tried to push the person away but they were persistent. She heard someone calling her name, over and over, like a broken record. She wished they would stop speaking and for a moment they did, but almost instantly they were calling to her again. The shaking grew more violent and their grip on her shoulder's was beginning to hurt.

Suddenly Hinata heard a savage roar and saw a flash of red and then the dream shattered like broke glass. Hinata blinked several times before she realized she was staring at Toshiro, and that his hands were gripping her shoulders. For a terrifying moment, Hinata saw a creature standing behind Toshiro, a gigantic dragon made of ice, but it vanished before she could confirm it's exsistance.

"Hyuuga! Oi, Hyuuga!" Toshiro yelled again, and gave her a firm shake.

"T-Toshiro-kun?" Hinata said stupidly, as though she'd expected someone else.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yes."

"Good." And he released her.

Hinata heard something crunch underfoot as he drew back and realized with a stab of disbelief that the entire area in which the kido had been set up was covered in ice and snow. Ice had even begun to form on the kido!

"D-did I do a-all this?" She gasped, stupefied.

"No," Toshiro told her. "But you did most of it. I had to use some of my reiatsu to wake you up." And then he shook his head with a sigh. "I almost lost you."

Hinata blushed faintly. "Huh? L-lost me?"

"Yes. To your Inner World. You were drawing too much power from it and you were sucking yourself inside."

"I-I was!"

He nodded. "I should've warned you that could happen, but...but I didn't think it would happen to you. I didn't know your reiatsu was _that _strong. You have enough to join the Gotei 13 as a seated officer!"

Obviously, that was supposed to be good. But Hinata hadn't the faintest idea what the Gotei 13 was and wondered briefly if it was tasty, because hunger was suddenly clawing at her belly and she desperately wanted food.

She voiced her concerns in a shaky voice but much to her surprise Hitsugaya nodded in understanding. "Come inside. I'll ask Kimi to make something."

Kimi obliged without complaint and was obviously over the moon with curiosity as she sat down beside Hinata and handed out the onigiri. She had felt the reiatsu even through the kido shield and was itching to know just what Toshiro was having Hinata do.

"I take it you haven't had time to learn about the Gotei 13, Hyuuga?" Hitsugaya said as Hinata finished her fourth onigiri. Honestly, these sudden pangs of hunger would end up turning her into a glutton. Hinata nodded to Toshiro to confirm his theory, and he opened his mouth to explain but Kimi beat him to it.

"The Gotei 13 is the organization of shinigami that protects the Human World and the Spirit World from harm!" Kimi explained, barely able to keep the excitement out of her voice. She wasn't fighting for Hinata, but at least this way she would repay her for some of what she'd done. "There are 13 Divisions, each with their own Taichou. The Taichou are the thirteen strongest shinigami in the Soul Society!" Her emerald eyes glistened. "Then there's the fuku-taichou **(vice-captain)** who's job is fight along side their taichou and protect them from harm. Below them are the seated officers, and below _them _are the ultra-weak unseated officers that do nothing but whack at ultra-weak hollow."

"I-I see." Hinata mumbled and she risked a glance at Toshiro and saw he was glaring at Kimi, annoyed that she'd cut him off _and _called a certain group of shinigami weak. But he didn't tell her off, so Hinata took it as a sign he didn't dislike her. "Thanks, K-Kimi-chan."

"No problem, Hina-chan! So, are you going to become a shinigami? That would be _so cool!_"

"U-um..."

"Are you gonna go to the Academy? There's no way they'd refuse you, with _that _much reiatsu-"

"They won't accept her till next year." Toshiro said suddenly, causing both girls to jump. The expression on his face was clearly annoyed and seemed to say _Yes, I'm still here. _Hinata suddenly felt guilty though she wasn't sure how she was supposed to have stopped Kimi talking with her stuttering problem and shy personality. But she felt guilty anyway.

"Not until next year? That ridiculous!" Kimi snapped, and Hinata was amazed at how different she sounded. This was the first she'd seen her with strength and without a knife to her throat. "Hina-chan is strong! I felt it through the kido-shield-thing and she needs to go to the Academy!"

"They might let her in if you talk them to death," Toshiro muttered, but Kimi was too caught up in her ranting to hear. Hinata was glad she hadn't. This 'new and improved' Kimi would've probably attack him, had she heard the comment.

"They've gotta let Hina-chan into the Academy _now_! They've just gotta!"

"Calm down, would you?" Toshiro snapped. "It's the 28th today and they accept applications on the 3rd of January. I'll just take Hyuuga now to ensure a space and then she had attend when school starts without any problems."

"Can you do that?" Kimi asked doubtfully.

Toshiro twitched, and this time he didn't try to compress it. "_Yes. _If you haven't noticed, I am a Taichou despite my appearance, and they won't be able to turn her down once they feel her reiatsu. Until then," He pushed his onigiri plate aside and stood up. "I'm going to teach you the basics. You can't go to the Academy with as little knowledge as you have."

So the two spent the afternoon training.

As Hitsugaya only had one very real sword with him, he decided to help Hinata with the basics of kido instead of zanjutsu, the art of swordsmanship. He claimed there was a lot of boring kido theory to get through at the Academy, but once you actually start learning it can be fun and you don't really need to learn the theory anyway because it ends up being completely useless during a battle, save for the safety guide lines.

Hinata actually turned out to be quite good at kido and she guessed it was because all the jutsu she used while alive required precise chakra control. After a mere hour she'd learned how to control the amount of power she pushed into her palm and mastered the art of aiming. Toshiro praised her for that, and Hinata felt as though she could accomplish anything with his words ringing in her ears. She realized then that she did enjoy Hitsugaya's company.

Before she knew it the sun was going down and Ahiko was ordering them inside for some supper. Hitsugaya protested, saying he needed to return, but Ahiko brushed off his worries and ushered him inside. To her, he was nothing more then a stubborn child. The sword didn't scare her in the least.

"Hitsugaya-taichou," Hinata said as she and Toshiro cleared the table (having learned he was a captain, Hitsugaya had seen no excuse for her to continue calling him 'Toshiro-kun').

"Hn?"

"Wh-where will you s-sleep?" Hinata had asked that question the night before, but her answer had been 'That's not important' and Hinata's exhausted brain had expected it without a second thought. Now she refused to take that answer again and was determined to find out where he was sleeping.

Toshiro hesitated, read her face and then sighed. He pointed with his free hand towards the window, at the dark blue sky. "I slept in a tree last night."

Hinata shook her head. "Y-you can't s-sleep outside! Y-you'll get sick."

He shrugged. "I don't mind."

"B-but..."

"I can watch the forest from there," He said and there was a kind of finality in his voice that told Hinata he wanted to discuss this no further.

"A-at least take a blanket." Before he could protest she grabbed one of the blankets off the floor and held it towards him with a pleading look on her face. He glanced at her and the blanket and back again, and just when Hinata thought he might argue he sighed in defeat and took the blanket from her.

"Thanks." He muttered.

Hinata smiled. "O-oyosuminasai, Hitsugaya-taichou." Goodnight.

He nodded. "Oyosumi, Hyuuga." And then he was out the door and disappearing into the night.

0-0-0

Outside, Toshiro was sitting in a tree and the darkness of night fell upon him like a blanket. He had claimed sitting here gave him a good view of the forest, but that was necessarily true. It was night after all and near impossible to see anything. What he was _really _doing was thinking deeply, like he always did whenever he had spare time or when he wasn't napping.

Back when he'd gotten Hinata to summon her reiatsu, she had almost been sucked into her Inner World. But that wasn't what he was pondering about. He was thinking about when he'd shaken her and called her name in a vain attempt to force her back into reality without using his powers. Hinata had somehow wrapped her reiatsu around his throat and forced him to stop talking and though it had only lasted for second, it had still happened and it had _hurt. _He'd been careful not to show any concern when Hinata had finally come to, but now, alone with the darkness for company, a look of worry was spreading across his features.

He'd never heard of someone being choked with reiatsu, not like that. You could be crushed by reiatsu. You could be weakened by reiatsu. But you couldn't be _choked._ The reiatsu Hinata had used had really felt like hands, _her hands, _gripping his throat and strangling the life out of him. For a spilt second he hadn't been able to breath and for a moment after he thought he'd imagined but the reiatsu residue on his neck proved him wrong.

Just what was Hinata? How could she do something like that with her reiatsu, when Toshiro had met _no captain _with that ability. Not even Aizen Souske was able to manipulate his reiatsu like that and he was by far the strongest enemy the shinigami had ever encountered.

His frown hardened. This was _bad. _If Hinata lost control like that at the Academy she could end up killing someone...but then again that was why she was going to the Academy in the first place, to learn how to control her reiatsu and stop herself from killing someone.

_There's no helping it, I'll have to keep a close watch on her. _With that settled, he summoned a Hell Butterfly and told Matsumoto what he was doing. Or most of it. He hoped he hadn't caused her to worry, having disappeared for a day and a bit.

As the small black creature fluttered off into the sky, Toshiro found himself falling sleep. He tried to fight the urge but gave in after a few minutes, and faint smile played on his lips as his eyes finally closed.

0-0-0

"**Get out of here.**"

The raven regarded the she-wolf silently, it's head titled to one side. Ookami-san snarled savagely and leapt towards it but the evil little thing fluttered up into the air before she could get her fangs into its neck.

"**Stay away from Hime!**" She barked at its tiny figure, a black dot against a background of snowy white sky. "**I don't know who or what you are, but I want you and your master out of Hime's world!**"

The raven shrieked as it retreated into the sky. Ookami-san knew it wasn't leaving, just hiding from her snapping jaw, and let out a hiss of frustration. She raised her head and howled at the sky, letting all her anger out in one sorrowful song.

The raven, meanwhile, landed soundlessly on the arm of its master, who smiled his classic smile, and then vanished.

* * *

**!I own neither Bleach nor Naruto!**

**Hello everybody :D Ten reviews~~Thank you so much!**

**I apologize for this boring chapter -_- So far, there's been some sort of fight in every single one, but they can't have a fight everyday! Please bare with me!**

**Hinata will be joining the Academy soon. I'll finish up all this training business as quickly as possible so no-one gets board. I proof-read this so hopefully there aren't any grammar mistakes!**

**Thank you! Also, Merry Christmas! Only two more days :DDDD**


	5. Chapter 5

"Gin."

Ichimaru smiled pleasantly at Aizen as he held the hogyuku, the magnificent ball of light that possessed power beyond Ichimaru's wildest dreams. It was tiny and unimpressive and lame-looking but the moment someone offered it power it became a weapon whose power was rivalled by none. And as of a few days ago, it had been growing even _stronger. _

"What 'appening to it, Aizen-taichou?" Gin asked as he eyed the glowing ball through his eye lashes. It had become a habit to keep his eyes forever squinted unless it was absolutely necessary to be able to see properly like when he fought Hitsugaya Toshiro.

"It's excited, Gin. This person, this child...she is exciting the hogyuku." Aizen's voice was powerful and carrying and calm. The voice of a leader but even leaders came across things they couldn't understand and Aizen wasn't even trying to hide the bewilderment in his eyes from Gin. Gin followed his gaze and studied the face that was flickering beneath the hogyuku's surface.

It was a pretty face. A little girl, around twelve or thirteen, with short black hair and interesting lavender eyes that seemed to lack a pupil. Her skin was pale but no frighteningly so and a blush tinted her cheeks. All in all, a cute little girl.

"She's exciting the hogyuku? Whatever for? Yer sure?"

"Yes, I am sure. The hogyuku has been watching nothing but her for the past four days. It has even tried to..." His voice trailed off and he blinked sheepishly. He seemed unsure of what he had been about to say but Gin wondered secretly whether Aizen even wanted to share something as important as this with his underling.

"Yer don't have to tell me if yer don't wanna, Aizen-taichou."

"Hmm."

And suddenly Aizen was standing and mischievous light blazed in the chocolate depths of his eyes. Of course only someone like Gin could pick it up after working for Aizen for so long. To the untrained eye Aizen would've looked the same as he always did, calm, powerful, cunning. Sometimes Gin wished he couldn't see the gleam in those brown eyes. Though he would never admit it the sight frightened him.

"Gin." Aizen said and instantly Gin knew he had a plan. "I need you to do something for me..."

0-0-0

_He's coming!_

Hinata dropped down desperately to avoid Toshiro's swing and his bokutou flew right over her head and she felt the air whistle through her air. Hinata tried to drive her bokutou's blunt tip into his chest but the skilful shinigami captain simply dodged and then brought his weapon down on her wrist. She gritted her teeth to keep herself from crying out in pain.

"99," Toshiro said as he counted aloud.

Hinata swallowed down the pain and leapt back to avoid another attack. Once the distance between them was substantial, Hinata raised her hand and shouted: "Hado Ichi: Sho!" Toshiro immediately stopped and slashed the air with his sword. The air seemed to shatter and pieces of what looked like yellow tinted glass came crashing to the ground, only to materialize into the air before making it. Then Toshiro was sprinting towards her at an unbelievably fast pace.

Hinata didn't even see the blow coming, but she sure did _feel_ it when it hit her shoulder. This time she did cry out and didn't try to stop herself from collapsing because she knew the exercise was over anyway.

"100." Toshiro finished as he rested the bokutou's blade on his shoulder. "Sorry, did I hit you too hard?"

"N-no, I'm o-okay." Hinata mumbled as she rubbed her injured shoulder. "I just d-didn't see i-it coming..."

"You've done well, Hyuuga. You managed to hit me twice before I hit you a hundred times. You're a fast learner. You'll do well at the Academy if you keep it up." He praised and Hinata instantly forgot about her injuries. His words filled her with hope. But she she was careful not to show the full extent of her joy on her face in fear that Toshiro would laugh.

As Toshiro turned his back Hinata was suddenly over come with the need to be reckless. She quickly snatched her bokutou off the ground and stood slowly, carefully, and then sprang. Her movements were swift and fast but obviously not fast enough because Toshiro saw the blade coming from a mile away. He blocked it effortlessly and pushed back with strength no child should physically possess and sent her sprawling on the ground. She tried to scramble up but before she could the tip of his blade appeared at her throat.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"...b...being r-reckless?"

"Uh-huh. Get up."

Hinata frowned at him but stood all the same. She was finding easier and easier to open up around Toshiro even though she'd only known him for a few days. There was just something about him...something that she found easy to talk to. She found she could express her emotions easier around him but that came with a down side. Her blushing was worse then it had ever been with Naruto!

"Hina-chan!" Kimi's voice reached Hinata's ears a split second before her arms wrapped around her neck and Hinata was suddenly being suffocated. She dropped her sword and spluttered and groped desperately at Kimi's arms.

"Kimi!" Hitsugaya yelled. "You're choking her!"

"Huh? Oh-sorry!" Kimi realized what she was doing and released Hinata who stumbled forwards a pace and gasped for air. "I'm just so excited! You're taking Hina-chan to the Academy today, right, Hitsugaya-taichou? Right?"

"Yes, right." Toshiro said icily and Hinata perked up.

"R-really?" She gasped.

Toshiro nodded. "It's time. You've learned enough. Let's get something to eat, then we'll go."

Hinata wasn't sure whether to be over the moon with happiness or sinking through the floor with anxiety. Her stomach was suddenly full of butterflies and she couldn't finish her meal though both Hitsugaya and Ahiko insisted she should. Hinata was terrified that she'd be rejected. She had actually been looking forward to going to the Academy and studying to become a shinigami but she was just a kid and though Toshiro was living proof that kid's could be accepted Hinata was still afraid they would laugh in her face and send her away.

Once Toshiro and the others finished eating Hinata and Kimi cleared the table. Ahiko and Toshiro waited patiently outside, chatting comfortably, until the two girls came out. Ahiko took the bokutou back. They had been her deceased sister's and she had thought them lost until she stumbled upon them a day ago, just lying in the back of the closest gathering dust.

"Th-thank you for e-everything, Ahiko-san, Kimi-chan." Hinata said politely as she bowed in respect. Toshiro bowed too and thanked Ahiko for her kindness and graciousness. Kimi blushed and Ahiko rolled her eyes.

"Come back soon!" Ahiko called, waving, as the two wandered into the forest. "Save trip, Hina-chan!" Kimi was waving, too.

"...H-Hitsugaya-taichou?" Hinata said softly once they were well on their way. Her voice was so faint Toshiro barely heard it over the sounds of the forest.

"Yeah?"

"D-do you think e-everything w-will be alright?"

Toshiro blinked at her in surprise. He had expected nerves like this, true, but for some reason seeing Hinata like this really bugged him. "Yes." He said honestly. "I believe it will be."

0-0-0

They weren't happy. The judges.

They stared down at Hinata from their high, fancy-looking chairs with disgust etched into their features. It was more then clear that they wanted her to leave and let them be despite the fact a captain of the Gotei 13 had brought her here and insisted she be tested. One particularly out spoken judge had insulted Hinata with a curse but immediately apologized when the temperature in the room dropped several degrees and ice starting forming on his glasses.

They had Hinata sit the standard entrance exam. As Toshiro had not only been training but also tutoring her for the past three or so days Hinata could answer pretty much all the questions with moderate ease. Some were extremely easy, like 'What is a Zunpakutou?', while others were quite hard, like 'Explain the procedure of obtaining Bankai.' Toshiro had said little about Shikai let alone Bankai and Hinata wasn't entirely sure how to answer that.

Once that was finished they thrusted a bokutou into her hands and demanded she she preform several poses. Those were easy. Toshiro had forced her to run through each one ten times a day and hadn't let her stop till he was satisfied with the results. Hinata was somewhat confident she'd gotten everything correct in that part expect for the last one. She thought she might've held the handle wrong or put her foot in the wrong place.

Then they tested her physical strength and her stamina. For stamina they had her run down the length of the hall the exam was being held in and then had her jump over and duck under various things. Hinata almost tripped while ducking the third obstacle and thanked whatever god shinigami believed in that she hadn't. For strength they had her hit various things to see how far she could force them to move. She could kick it or punch it or run into it, they didn't care, as long as she hit it. Hinata had never been too good in this department but was surprised at how far she managed to push some things and completely ashamed at how little she got others to move.

Then came the reiatsu test. Hinata was positive that if she failed this test then she failed the entire exam and she wondered grimly why the put the most important part at the very end. It seemed to stupid, but then again Toshiro had told her the whole process was stupid so she shouldn't have been surprised.

They told her to summon as much reiatsu as she could. Remembering last time Hinata was careful not to prod too far into her Inner World. She had already guessed that when she started to see it instead of the back of her eye lids was when she'd begun to draw herself in, so she just focused on the image of a wolf in her mind and tried to ignore the pull of the icy land.

Power filled her but all she saw was the mental image of the wolf. The tug from her Inner World vanished and Hinata allowed herself a quick sigh of relief. She poured out as much reiatsu as she possibly could and felt stronger and stronger by the second but knew the moment someone's hands gripped her shoulders that she needed to stop.

So she took a deep breath and steadied herself and blinked several times, as though she had just woken up from a nice long sleep. The ground around her was covered in snow and ice and the judge that was holding her was shivering from head to toe, and as Hinata examined him a littler closer she realized with a small pang of pleasure that it was the guy that had sworn at her earlier. Ice was forming on his glasses again.

"Well, that was impressive." A female judge said but Hinata could tell whether she was being sarcastic or not. She gathered her papers together and tucked them under her arm as she stood. "We'll have your results complied by this afternoon. That is all." And Hinata got the feeling she'd just been dismissed so she stumbled out of the room and found Toshiro waiting for her. He was smiling.

"Well done." He said.

Hinata blushed and looked at her toes. She hadn't seen him smile before...and it really suited him, in her opinion. She wished he would smile more often but didn't dare say it aloud.

"Th-thank you."

0-0-0

That following evening a messenger came to Ahiko's hut to inform Hinata she had passed and been placed in the Advanced Class. As he walked out he thought a bomb had suddenly gone off in the hut, Ahiko and Kimi were cheering so loud. Toshiro covered his ears and looked away as Kimi half-strangled Hinata with her hugs and Ahiko patted her head so many times her hair began to knot.

Toshiro left the girls to party and searched for his sleeping tree. He found it after a few minutes of searching and quickly hoped up into the branches. Even there, he could hear Kimi talking enthusiastically about Hinata and appeared to be planning out her entire career as a shinigami. She decided Hinata would surpass the Captain-General and become the strongest female shinigami that has ever lived but she'd also get married and have seven kids.

Hitsugaya snorted at that. That Kimi was a bigger nut that Matsumoto!

Eventually the chatter began to die down and finally the lights were switched off. Toshiro sighed and stared at the house for a few moments before snuggling up against the...the bark. He shivered. That night was a lot colder then the previous nights...

Hitsugaya stopped shuddering abruptly as a warm blanket was draped over him. His eyes popped open and he rolled over to see Hinata standing steadily on the branch beside him, clad in her sleeping gear and protected from the cold by the pale grey jacket she'd been wearing when she died. Her cheeks were a quite pink and Toshiro guessed it was from the cold.

He tugged the blanket. "Thanks."

She smiled. "I-it's okay. Oyosuminasai."

"Oyosumi." And he rolled back over as he believed Hinata would just hop back down. When he realized she was still standing there he rolled back over and stared at her puzzlingly. "What's up?"

"I, um..." Hinata mumbled and started twiddling her fingers. Toshiro mentally grinned. She was unbelievably cute when she did that. "I w-wanted to s-say thank you."

"Again?"

"W-well..."

"You're welcome. Now go get a good sleep. Don't think just because you've been accepted, that we're not going to continue training. Now go."

Hinata's face lit up with joy and Toshiro realized she had expected him to leave. "We-we are? That's great! See y-you to tomorrow!"

"Yeah."

And she jumped out of the tree and hurried back to the hut. Toshiro's azure eyes followed her retreating figure and he didn't look away until she'd slipped inside. But even then his eyes lingered and he didn't realize he was staring till a few seconds later.

Blushing, he quickly rolled over and pulled the blanket close. Hinata's reiatsu was still on it and sensing it sent tingles up his spin. He swallowed. _What's wrong with me?_

_

* * *

_

** !I own neither Bleach nor Naruto!**

** Mushi mushi ^^ I'm writing these really fast, huh? Guess I'm having fun. I hope you liked the chapter, Hinata's finally in the Academy! And Aizen has a plan! **

**Matsumoto and Hinamori will come back into the story soon ^^ I might bring Renji in, too, because I like him, and Rukia and definitely Ukitake. But maybe _not _Ichigo. I don't really like him for reasons I don't really understand. **

**Please, _please, PLEASE _review! I love your comments :D They make me so happy!**

**I also apologize for the shortness of this chapter! I'll try and make the next one longer!**

**Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6

_I miss Toshiro_

Oh, how true that was. Hinata sat alone in the Shinigami Academy cafeteria with her arms wrapped around her knees and hardly any food on her plate. Today was her first day at the Academy and so far no-one had so much as looked at her, let alone talk to her, unless you counted those ridiculously hostile glares and Hinata was getting at least ten of those per-second. They all seemed to believe because she was a little kid barely thirteen years old in the Advanced Class that she _had to be _a stuck-up bitch who thought they were all idiots though she never dared to say it out loud.

She had been excited about entering the Academy. Now she just wanted to get out and go back to training with Toshiro who at the moment appeared to be the only person with any reiatsu who didn't loathe her very existence.

To pass the time, she withdrew her time table. Her first class was Kido in room 2-B and Hinata was smart enough to guess it would be the boring kido theory Toshiro had told her about and that the forty minutes spent listening to it would be a complete _waste of time. _She sighed. According to the sheet her teacher would be a guy called Pinto-sensei and Hinata wondered if he would be a strict teacher like the ones in the Ninja Academy, excluding Iruka-sensei. He was okay...

Hinata spent the rest of breakfast prodding her food. She thought back to her dorm room and how she lacked a room mate. That was good because she could spend the entire night alone doing whatever she wanted and she wouldn't be plagued by those terrifying stares.

She jumped as the bell rang and quickly threw her food away. For some reason a girl near her scoffed as though she disapproved and yet did nothing when her friend shoved a whole can of pea soup into the garbage bin. Hinata frowned but kept silent and instead tried to focus on where the hell room 2-B was. The Academy was like a maze and Hinata seriously doubted she would be able to find her room without her byukugan but she really did want to avoid using that technique so she simply asked some random guy for directions. He gave her a what-are-you-doing-here look but did end up pointing her in the right direction.

Hinata arrived to class two minutes after the bell. Two minutes too long, apparently. Pinto-sensei was _not _pleased and crossed his arms threateningly when Hinata arrived shuddering in her sandles. The look in Pinto-sensei's eyes made her want to sink into the floor.

"Well, little Hyuuga Hinata-chan _finally _treats us with her presence. Tell me, Hyuuga, but _why _is it that you delayed my class?"

"I-I, u-um, g-got lost, s-s-sensei." Hinata mumbled and she desperately avoided his eyes. She wished Toshiro was beside her, offering his comforting presence. She felt alone and vulnerable without him.

The teacher remained hard as stone but several of the first years snickered. Hinata swallowed and bowed low. "F-forgive m-me, s-sensei, i-it w-w-won't h-happen a-again."

"Be sure it doesn't, because next time I'll have you scrubbing toilets! Now to your seat!"

Hinata wished she was invisible as she walked to her seat. Everyone was looking at her and everyone appeared to be suppressing some sort of amused sound. She sat glumly by the very girl who had given her that disapproving 'hmph' when she'd disposed of her food. Her spirits fell even lower.

She _really _missed Toshiro.

0-0-0

"Shiro-chan!"

Toshiro sighed and pushed his paper work aside. He knew he would eventually have to face Hinamori's wrath and explain just why he had neglected his captain duties for the better half of the month and had sent nothing but the occasional Hell Butterfly to assure her he wasn't dead. He opened his turquoise just in time to see his 'girlfriend' fly through the door and wrap her arms around his neck and rub her face against his. Her chocolate eyes were watery and her cheeks were pink.

He didn't find it cute in the least.

"Where have you _been _Shiro-chan! I was so worried!"

"I sent a Hell Butterfly. But anyway, you needn't get to concerned about me, Hinamori. I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself."

"I know! But I was still worried..." She trailed off and pouted and Toshiro knew he was supposed to be overcome by her cuteness and sigh in defeat. He settled for just looking away but Hinamori translated it the same way. She brushed her lips against his cheek and Toshiro stiffened.

He still hadn't summoned the courage to break up with Hinamori, but then again he hadn't really been thinking about it for quite some time. Taking care of Hyuuga and organizing for some teachers to keep an eye on her had kept him far to busy to worry about his personal life and now he knew why Matsumoto preferred to goof rather then work, because that way you're absorbed by your personal life and nothing unexpected happens. Like _this._

Toshiro glanced at his papers. He missed Hinata, though he would never admit it to anyone other then himself and Hyourinmaru. He missed her smile and her laugh and especially her cooking. But he missed training with her, too. She had never questioned his judgement and had always tried her hardest. It made him proud to see her entering the Academy and a part of him hoped she would graduate early like he did...but that was for selfish reasons.

It occurred to Toshiro that he may have been falling for Hinata. Literallyfalling for her. More then once he had caught himself staring at Hinata's figure while they'd been training and he enjoyed her company more then anyone else's. He fought the urge to sigh. The thought that he might actually be falling in love with someone seemed ridiculous, but the idea of falling in love with Hinata didn't actually seem too bad.

"Shiro-chan?" Hinamori mumbled and Toshiro realized he'd been spacing out.

"Hinamori," He said firmly. "I've told you time and time again to stop calling me 'Shiro-chan'. Must I remind you?"

"You're cold," Hinamori said as she pulled away and crossed her arms over her chest. "What's wrong with you?"

"There's nothing wrong with me, Hinamori, I just want to you to stop addressing me that way."

"You're always so formal when talking to me." Hinamori complained. "Rangiku-san, too."

"So?"

"We're you friends, aren't? And besides," Hinamori added. "I'm _more _then your friend. I'm your girlfriend, Hitsugaya-kun. We shouldn't need to act like we're nobles being forced into an arranged marriage or we'll go crazy."

Nobles being forced into an arranged marriage seemed to describe it quiet well in Toshiro's opinion and with his temper slowly rising he had half the nerve to tell her just that. But only half. She was still his Bed Wetter Momo and no matter how annoying the brunette managed to be he wouldn't knowingly upset her. But even so he didn't feel like discussing this particular topic at the moment so he picked up his ink push and selected a document from his monstrous pile.

"I have work to do, Hinamori. Please leave."

"Hitsugaya-kun-"

"_Now._"

"Fine." Hinamori spun round and stormed towards the door. Toshiro felt a small pang of guilt for upsetting his childhood friend but before he had the chance to fall her back for him to apologize she was gone. Matsumoto poked her head in and frowned.

"Taichou...is everything alright?"

Toshiro sighed. "For the moment, I guess."

0-0-0

"Fight!"

Hinata raised her bokutou in a frantic block as her opponent brought her own wooden sword down on the smaller girl with as much strength as she could summon. But Hinata was better then they suspected and she threw the blondie off with a powerful push and then dived in with a slash. It was blocked and then Hinata side stepped to avoid a thrust. She ducked at a slash and jumped over semi-circle that was designed to cut the Hyuuga in half.

Her toes hit the ground and she pushed forward and caught Blondie off guard. The bokutou made contact with her leg and the force made Blondie stagger backwards. She fell back and landed awkwardly on her wrist and let out a cry of pain that was lost among the _thuds _and _slaps _that resounding from the other battles going on around them.

Hinata froze and immediately dropped out of battle mode. Before the training exercise they'd been instructed to wear protective gear but their was none for the wrist and Hinata feared Blondie might really be hurt.

"U-um, a-are you a-alright-"

"Get your hands off me, filth!" And Blondie slapped Hinata's out stretched hand away and for some reason it hurt a lot more then it should've. Hinata clutched her hand and instinctively took several steps back as Blondie's friend hurried over and helped her off the ground. The friend was taller then Blondie and had long brown hair and a freckled face and stone-grey eyes.

Blondie shook Grey-eyes off and took a step towards Hinata. "How dare you injury me, you worthless child! This is what happens when little _brats _like you join the Academy! People get hurt!"

"I-"

"I am not interested in your excuses! I'll have my father expel you, Hyuuga-"

"You will do no such thing."

All three girls jumped when Osuka-sensei appeared out of no-where and stalked over with a menacing gleam in his eyes. Their combat sensei was a lot more easy going then Pinto-sensei but was extremely strict and passionate about treating all students as equals and Hinata was pretty sure Blondie had just crossed some unseen line if the look on his face was anything to go by.

"But sensei-"

"I saw the fight, Maaka-san, and you fell on your own. Hyuuga-san did nothing wrong and you are simply blaming her for your lose. And besides, their is no way Hyuuga would be expelled for something as small as this. Noble or not, all students are treated equally in this school." There was a note of finality in his voice that made Hinata afraid to speak and she pressed her lips together so that not even the faintest sound slipped through them. Maaka-san (Hinata didn't know her first name yet) glared at their sensei but held her toung and Hinata was grateful for that.

Finally Osuka-sensei said "As you were." before turning on heel and walking off to deal with some boys shouting at each other.

Once he was gone Maaka-san gave Hinata once savage look and then stepped forward and gave her shoulders a hard shove. Hinata stumbled backwards and just barely caught herself on the bokutou. Maaka-san smirked.

"You will fight me tomorrow. And I _will _beat you."

0-0-0

Maaka-san lost. Again. And again. And again.

The whole week passed without incident apart from Hinata beating Maaka Bunko every single day during combat class and the blond was _not _taking it well. Each time she vowed to win the next round only to loss miserly in front of all her peers. No-one had talked to Hinata yet but she'd heard some nasty rumours and Hinata was willing to bet her comfy futon that Maaka was behind it...

...so, in retrospect, Hinata should've known _something _was going to happen...

Hinata was walking back to her room. It was late in the afternoon and the sky was steadily darkening and Hinata was tired. _Tired. _Her hands ached from hours of scribbling notes and her eyes stung from hours of staring at the stuff she had to scribble down as notes. She just wanted to sleep and never get up again but less then a second later she wished she'd stayed back in the class room to clean up or something...

...because the moment she rounded the seemingly deserted corner a hand covered her mouth and suddenly she was being kicked in the stomach.

The blow was so suddenly and violent Hinata was unable to respond for several seconds and the enemy used that time to deliver another five painful kicks to her gut. Then she was thrown against the wall and she laid there, gasping for air, as a kick was aimed at her back. It struck and Hinata let out a gasp of pain.

Hinata saw the next one and refused to be hit again. She flung her arms out and grabbed the flying foot and pushed her self off the ground. Her attacker lost their footing and crashed to the floor and just as Hinata was about to catch a glimpse of their face someone else snatched the back of her uniform and gave it a savage tug. Hinata was pulled back and for a short, horrifying moment she couldn't breath. Then she spun around and elbowed her captor in the face.

She staggered away rubbing her throat and turned to see that her attackers were none other then Maaka Bunko and Kagurashi Miyuki, formally known as Grey-eyes.

Miyuki was off the ground and was racing towards Hinata at a frightening speed. Hinata dodged the flying kick aimed at her head and then blocked the punch going for her stomach. A dozen others followed but Hinata managed to dodge or block all of them expect for one, which just skimmed her shoulder but was never the less painful and Hinata couldn't imagine how painful it would've been to suffer a direct hit from Miyuki.

"Hiyaaaaa!"

Bunko's foot made contact with Hinata's head and the Hyuuga was knocked to the ground. She tried to roll away but Miyuki grabbed her and held her still. Bunko kicked her again and again and again and Hinata tried desperately to escape but her struggles were in vain. Miyuki was seven times her size and her puny, twig-thin arms had no chance against her-

_Kido!_

Holding back tears, Hinata pressed her flat palm against Miyuki shoulders and yelled "Hado no Ichi: Sho!"

Miyuki let out a cry of surprise as her shoulder was forced away from Hinata by some unseen force and her grip on Hinata's small body lessened, almost disappeared completely. Hinata immediately rolled away so Bunko's furious kick hit Miyuki's gut rather then Hinata's and Miyuki was sent rolling around on the floor gasping for air.

"Mi-Miyuki!" Bunko cried but her concern evaporated when she realized Hinata was trying to get away. "Wait!"

Hinata tried to run but Bunko's legs were longer and she reached her before Hinata could escape. She clutched Hinata's hair and furiously tugged her back and Hinata let out a cry of pain as Bunko flashed a kick at the back of her knee. Her leg gave way and she partly collapsed and Bunko's smirk returned. She threw Hinata to the floor and hit her. Again and again and again. Miyuki's foot joined in and Hinata realized dully that she'd recovered.

Hinata knew it would be impossible to run now so she just followed some ancient human instinct to cover her face, her eyes and nose, and wait for the beating to be over. But then someone kicked her gut again and suddenly Hinata's body was shrieking with pain and Hinata screamed. They'd broken something inside. They were going to kill her!

Hinata began to cry in earnest and Bunko began to laugh.

"You see, gaki! See what happens when you damned _Hyuuga _come to the Academy! People get _hurt!_ Hahahaha!"

Despite all the pain and despair she felt Hinata's brain still managed to process that comment and she wondered momentarily whether or not Bunko had something against the Hyuuga Clan, if she knew them at all. Then she wondered what would happen when Toshiro came to find Hinata beaten to death and she saw an image of him crying. Her own weeping increased. She didn't want Toshiro to cry! Never, never, never...

And then the evil was seeping into her again.

It seemed to come from everywhere and suddenly Hinata's spirit was filled with this evil and dark and cruel presence and pain washed over her like a tidal wave. Her blood turned to acid; her skin was on fire; her head was being crushed; she was being snapped in two; her eye balls were melting-

The world spun like a whirl pool and Hinata was barely aware of her body moving on its own. She was suddenly on her feet and she was moving forward but she didn't care. All she cared about was keeping the excruciating pain at bay and Hinata could barely do that. She felt as though something was clawing at her flaming back and she heard the shrill squawk of a bird and saw something black and blurry dart across her vision.

Suddenly she was fading in and out of that fiery world and the Academy and she saw the man again and he was walking towards her. His face was still shrouded in darkness despite the fact he was surrounded by red-hot fire and every square inch of ground was bathed in that fiery light. Then Hinata saw something bright shine in his chest, something small and round and she was suffocated with the blackest and darkest reiatsu she'd ever felt. She was drowning in its presence and tried to run but her body would not listen to her. She was faintly aware of her fists moving and that something sticky and warm sparkled on her knuckles but that wasn't important...

"Who are you!" Hinata screamed into the fire. The raven was on his shoulder and its red eyes gleamed in triumph.

The man stopped and she saw him smile. And suddenly the shadows around his eyes vanished and Hinata found her lavender eyes meeting chocolate brown. He appeared calm and collected but Hinata immediately saw the evil behind the mask.

"Who am I?" The man said and his voice was just as cool and calm as his expression. He chuckled. "You need only ask Hitsugaya-kun. Just ask him...who he hates the most."

_Wh-why...? _Hinata felt as though she was falling and suddenly she couldn't breathe. The evil was sucked out off her and she stumbled backwards against the wall and she drew in as much air as humanly possible. The fire was gone and the pain was gone. But his words remained, echoing in her ears..._Just ask him...who he hates the most..._

And then Hinata blinked and realized something was on her fingers. She'd forgotten. She lifted her hands to examine them and her heart instantly stopped.

Blood.

_**Blood.**_

Blood painted her fingers and it was insanely bright and warm, the purest red Hinata had ever seen. But not only her fingers. There was blood all over her front and even on her feet. It dripped off the walls and pooled crimson on the floor. She felt vomit rising in her throat but swallowed it down. She took a shuddering breath and forced herself to look at the hall way...

...and almost burst out screaming then and there.

Miyuki and Bunko...she had never seen such horrible things done to a human body. She couldn't bare to look more then a second but knew they were dead as a door nail. No human could lose _that _much blood and survive. Hinata swallowed.

There was blood on her hands, on her front, on her feet...it was only logical to assume she killed them. But she couldn't remember doing so. No, all she remembered was the pain of that evil presence and the man speaking to her in the 'dream' of fire and ravens. And besides, they'd been attacking her. They'd broken something inside her...and Hinata only noticed then that her gut no longer hurt. That nothing hurt anymore, like all her bruises had disappeared. She unconsciously brushed her hand against the spot where they'd kicked and broken her. The pain had been agonizing.

She closed her eyes and sobbed. She'd killed Miyuki and Bunko. Why? _Why? _Hinata didn't like fighting...never have and never will...now she'd gone and killed two students without even meaning to and Toshiro would never speak to her again. She was positive of that. He'd be disgusted by all of this...the brutality, the cruelty, the _everything..._

"T-Toshiro-kun..." Hinata whimpered and she reluctantly opened her eyes-

And she gasped.

Bunko and Miyuki were _healed!_

They looked perfectly fine, perfectly brand new, and though they were still covered in blood all damage seemed to have just vanished. Bunko's head was in one piece and Miyuki's limbs were still enact though Hinata was sure she'd seen them thrown carelessly across the room. And...and they were _breathing!_

_They were alive!_

0-0-0

Hinata ran.

She didn't know what else to do.

She only stopped when she reached a large river far away from her dorm and the now-living bodies and the blood, that warm, sticky, red liquid that painted the walls and floors and _her. _She dived into the water and washed it all away. She tore off her uniform and washed it as thoroughly as she could managed and she didn't give a damn who saw. She just wanted the blood to be _gone._

A hour later and she was sprawled up against the tree that grew by the river, clad in her drenched school uniform, and she was bathed in shadows. Her breathing was heavy and shallow and her entire frame shook. She worried about Bunko and Miyuki. She worried about being caught. She worried about everything so much that her head began to hurt.

She was going to be caught. The principal would figure she'd done this somehow, that she'd beaten then to a pulp and then somehow healed them before fleeing...they would find out and expel her, perhaps even imprison her, and they'd tell Toshiro and he'd...he'd never...

She started crying again and she didn't bother to try and stop because she knew it was helpless. She was too upset and very, _very _confused. Had she healed them? If she had, then how? Would Ookami-san know? She seemed to know everything. Hinata sniffed. Since when was becoming a shinigami so damn _complicated_._..?_

"Hyuuga? Is that you?"

Hinata almost jumped out of her skin. She let out a yelp of surprise and spun around to see none other then Hitsugaya Toshiro standing behind her and his eyes were narrowed in concern. They widened slightly when he saw she was crying and Hinata hurriedly turned back to the river and wiped her tears away.

"H-hi, H-Hitsugaya-t-t-taichou.." She mumbled and she struggled to keep her voice even.

"Hyuuga, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" She heard him move closer and she stiffened.

"I-I'm no crying!" She protested meekly. She betrayed herself by sniffing. "I-I j-just h-have s-something in my e-e-eye..."

Toshiro dropped down beside her. She could feel his gaze drilling into her but she kept her watery eyes glued to her hands. She knew it was impossible but for some reason she though he _knew. _That he _knew _what happened in the corridor...but he couldn't, could he...?

"You're soaked." Toshiro said flatly. Hinata snuffled in response.

"I-I f-fell in."

"Hn." He didn't seem convinced.

For a while they just sat in silence. For Hinata it was suffocating. For Toshiro it was somewhat awkward and frustrating. She was hiding something from him and that hurt. He wanted to demand she tell her but held his toung because he knew that would only upset her.

Hinata examined her hands. They were very boring.

"...Hyuuga..." Toshiro said suddenly and Hinata's shoulders tightened. "I know something is wrong. But if you really don't want to tell me, you don't have to. Just know that no matter what's happened, I'll stand by you."

Hinata felt her face growing hot. "...Y-you will...?"

"You're my friend, Hyuuga. And it's a rule of mine to protect my friends, no matter what."

Hinata risked a glance at his face and found him staring out at the river. Light danced on his features and his hair and eyes seemed to glow. Hinata's mouth dropped slightly as she stared in awe. And then she was smiling and tears were swelling in her eyes again but she managed to hold them back. This boy...this amazing white haired boy was someone she could completely depend on, no matter what. That thought made her heart beat so fast it almost hurt.

She hesitated, blushed, and then rested her head on his shoulder and she felt him stiffen at her touch but thankfully he didn't push her away.

"...Thank y-you...Toshiro-kun."

His mouth twitched. "That's Hitsugaya-taichou to you."

* * *

**!I don't own Bleach nor Naruto!**

**Hi! I hope you all enjoyed Christmas! I know I did. I got _The Girl Who Leapt Through Time_. Great movie and I recommend it to everyone.**

**Anyway...I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Toshiro pulled a Kaien! And Hinata has finally started to heal people, like it says in the summary...I wonder why~...I don't mean to sound demanding but I wish someone would review chap 4 or 5 -_- I feel like I've suddenly gotten really bad at writing because there weren't any battle scenes. This chapter was hard to write because I wasn't sure if anyone would actually read it...so...**

**PLEASE REVIEW||PLEASE REVIEW||PLEASE REVIEW||**

**Thank you!**


	7. Chapter 7

Hinata was dreaming again. She stood alone in that beautiful, sparkling land of snow and ice, with trees sprinkled across the landscape and flowers particularly jumped out of the ground even as she sat and watched. She was sitting at the edge of the lake that had once looked like a large puddle and as she gazed into the watery depths she found she couldn't see the bottom.

She blinked and with a gasp she noticed pictures forming on the surface. They were faint and faded and barely visible, but they were there. She saw a small guy with white hair and guessed it was Toshiro (how many under-sized shinigami have white hair?) and he was standing next to a pretty brunette taller then himself. She handed him a cup which he took without hesitation and drank the fluid inside...then crashed to the floor and his eyes glazed over. The woman smiled.

Hinata's stomach twisted in horror but already the picture was changing. She saw an extremely beautiful woman with the most exaggerated breasts she'd ever seen running towards the Academy. Her icy blue eyes were narrowed with concentration and sweat sparkled on her brow. A tall guy with a head of wild, blood-red hair and a smaller guy with straight blond hair were running either side of her and looked just as desperate to reach their destination.

Then the scene changed again. Hinata saw a small cat with sleek black fur and startling golden eyes sneaking silently down a modern-day street and it's tail was twitching. A blond man clad in green and clogs and a hat that hid his eyes was following her.

Hinata titled her head to one side. What in the world? She reached out and touched the silvery surface and suddenly her stomach lurched. The pool vanished and she saw fire devouring buildings and heard the shrill shriek of a raven and she saw that man..._that man!..._walking towards the ring of fire that encased her. His forever-there smile appeared smug and arrogant as he approached the flames and Hinata wondered if he really thought they wouldn't burn his skin. Hinata saw his chocolate eyes sizzle in the fire light and suddenly a small round ball in his chest appeared and glowed as brightly as seven suns. Hinata's eyes began to water. She looked away and lifted an arm to cover her eyes-

She felt someone's hand snatch her raised arm and she let out in involuntary gasp of fear. She slowly looked up and saw the man standing over her, gripping her arm in the strongest grip Hinata had ever felt, with his classic grin plastered to his lips.

"Wait for me." Was his request.

Hinata's eyes grew wide. For some reason that simple request terrified her. She tried to rip her arm away but his fingers seemed to be made of iron for no matter how hard she pushed they would not budge. Hinata was panicking now. She kicked his shin but only ended up hurting her foot.

The light coming from his chest was overwhelming and Hinata couldn't bare to look anymore. She jammed her eyes shut and opened her mouth and screamed-

0-0-0

"L-LET ME GO!"

Hinata felt herself hit solid ground and realized the unknown man had released her. She wasn't sure why she'd fallen over but that didn't matter. She quickly scrambled to her feet and opened her eyes as she took a fighting stance only to realize she wasn't facing the chocolate-eyed man or his frightening black bird. No, she was facing Hitsugaya Toshiro with his white, gravity-defying hair and icy turquoise eyes. And no, there was no fire here, unless you counted the colour of the sky. The sun was setting and both river and sky had been set aflame, stained red like blood.

Toshiro was standing by the tree Hinata and he had spoken under and Hinata saw, with a quick glance over her shoulder, she was standing inches away from the river. Another step backwards and she would've fallen in. Toshiro looked concerned and slightly bewildered by his friend's actions and Hinata guessed it was _him _she'd pushed away, not that freaky, smiling, chocolate-eyed, raven-loving _pedo _from her dream (what kind of person walks up to a frightened girl, grabs her arm and says 'Wait for me'? You can't blame Hinata for her reasoning).

"S-sorry!" Hinata exclaimed and she bowed and her cheeks were already beginning to redden from embarrassment. They reddened further when she noticed she was wearing her school uniform and drying parts of it had plastered themselves to her body. While Toshiro's eyes narrowed in curiosity she hurriedly picked at those spots and hoped he hadn't seen much.

"Were you having a nightmare?" He asked.

Hinata nodded.

"I see. Are you alright?"

"H-hai **(yes)**." Then Hinata looked at the sky again and for a moment she simply stared. Then it hit her and she gasped. "I-I f-fell a-asleep!"

Toshiro nodded. "Yeah. A while ago. You looked pretty tired and I saw no reason to move you."

Hinata remembered resting her head on his shoulder and her heart pounded excitedly against her rip cage. "W-where w-was I...?"

"My shoulder."

Hinata's face burned crimson and her head immediately dropped and she shut her eyes. "I-I am so, so s-s-sorry!"

"For what?" He asked. When Hinata risked a puzzled glance at him and he continued. "I left you there, after all. I easily could've moved you. And plus, you've probably had an exhausting week. You have every right to feel tired."

Hinata let out a sigh of relief and straightened. Then something occurred to her. What was she doing down here with Toshiro in the first place? It was pretty late according to the sky, so why wasn't she in snuggled up in bed and wondering about how she would spend her first weekend-

Bunko.

Miyuki.

Evil.

Attack.

Blood.

_Dead._

It all rushed back to Hinata like a tidal wave and all the colour drained from her face. She'd forgotten Bunko and Miyuki and their attempt to kill her. She'd forgotten about Bunko's supposed knowledge about the Hyuuga Clan. And she'd forgotten about losing herself momentarily into the dream-world and snapping back to find she'd beaten poor Bunko and Miyuki to death.

_But I healed them, _Hinata reminded herself. _And me. Or at least I _think _I'm the one who healed them..._Who else could've done it?

"Hyuuga, what's wrong? You're face is very pale..." Hinata blinked in surprise when she heard Toshiro's voice and looked up to find he'd moved closer and was watching her with worry. She forced a small smile.

"N-nothing!" She lied.

Toshiro was smart enough to know she was lying but he didn't press the subject. Well, not really. At least he _thought _he'd abandoned the subject. "Did you hear?" He asked.

Hinata titled her head to the side. "H-hear what?"

"The messenger that came by. He talked about two girls in your class...Maaka Bunko and Kagurashi Miyuki."

Hinata swallowed. "M-maybe." She mumbled. "I-I don't know..."

"You were falling to sleep when he came. You probably don't remember." Toshiro reasoned and Hinata had to admit he was right. She couldn't remember any messenger paying them a visit. "Maaka and Kagurashi were attacked, or so they think. Their blood was all over the crime scene but they were utterly unscratched..." Toshiro's face hardened into a scowl and Hinata realized he must've been pondering over her crime while she'd been sleeping, wondering how the hell someone could lose to much blood but appear perfectly fine. "There was reiatsu found there but it wasn't like anything Unohana-the Yonbantai **(Fourth Division) **taichou-had encountered before. It was dark and sickly. It wasn't hollow reiatsu or shinigami reiatsu...it was something entirely different..."

Hinata's heart jumped into her throat. _Something entirely different? _It was the evil presence he was talking about, she was sure of it. She hadn't actually thought about what it was and wasn't sure whether to be happy or not upon discovering it wasn't a hollow trying to force it's way into her head. She went for depressed rather then joyful. If not a hollow...then _what?_

"Guards will be posted around the Academy, now. The So-taichou decided that much on his own, but he's holding a captains' meeting tomorrow so we can discuss it further." He continued. "Maaka and Kagurashi are being treated at the Yonbantai Relief Station, so they should be perfectly fine."

Hinata nodded and let out a sigh of genuine relief. Hinata was too caring for her own good and her old, living friend Kiba had continuously told her that. This was another example of Hinata's caring nature because despite everything they'd done, Hinata couldn't help but feel glad Bunko and Miyuki would be alright. But she was even _more _pleased about something else. _They hadn't discovered the attacker was her!_

The evil's reiatsu had masked her own and it was apparently too thick and strong for Unohana-taichou to tell the difference. Hinata thought briefly about them sending a sample of the reiatsu to Kurotsuchi-taichou for him to examine but Hinata found that highly unlikely...and, besides, was it even possible to take a 'sample of reiatsu'?...Hinata had no idea.

With that taken care of, Toshiro glanced at the sky and frowned. "Come on, Hyuuga, you had best be getting back to the Dorms. The sensei may think you've been attacked as well if we delay much longer."

Hinata saw the logic in that and it killed her inside. _She _was the attacker, after all, and because of her the entire shinigami world had jump-started into battle readiness. She bit her top lip and nodded in agreement.

As the two started their walk towards the Academy, Hinata narrowed her eyes in thought. Would they remember their brutal beating? They'd suffered pretty bad head injuries...but those had been healed. It was possible they'd remember everything and jab the finger of blame at Hinata, and rightfully so. Well, maybe. Technically, Hinata hadn't been in control of her body at the time. Something darker and more sinister had been pulling the strings, like some twisted puppeteer, with Hinata as the puppet. So perhaps blaming her for their near-demise wasn't completely right after all...or maybe Hinata was just trying to find an excuse.

They walked the rest of the way in silence. When the two had to separate (Hinata for the Academy, Toshiro for his division) Hinata suddenly wished the walk could've been longer. The thought of entering the Academy again after _that _did not agree with her stomach. Especially alone. Without Toshiro.

As she neared the gates, Hinata spotted the guards Toshiro had spoken of. They were strong looking men with muscular arms and thick necks and the weirdest hair styles Hinata had ever seen. One guy with red dots at the end of his eyes had no hair at all, and he looked extremely irritable, complaining about how there was nothing to fight to a guy with a bowl cut and pink and yellow feathers sticking out of his face.

Hinata watched them for a moment. The deed had been committed no less then a two hours ago and already so many shinigami had been pulled from their day-to-day duties and posted at the Academy gates. One gave Hinata a irritated look and ordered her to move on before she caused trouble.

Hinata walked silently into the buildings. She saw the other students all crowding together in their own little groups as they gossiped about the Miyuki-Bunko drama and no-one appeared to notice her. The sensei drifted around, seen but not heard, and kept a close eye on all the students. The shinigami patrolled the grounds and kept a hand hovering by the hilt of the _katana _at all times.

Hinata eventually reached her dorm room. She slammed the door, kicked off her shoes and then collapsed onto her bed. She stared at the ceiling for what seemed like a life time. She remembered the days when she'd just trained with Toshiro and lived with Kimi and Ahiko. She remembered all the fun they'd had and how she'd smile so much that her cheeks ached. Toshiro smiled quite a bit, too. Kimi and Ahiko had become her family and she missed them dearly...

Hinata decided she'd visit them on the weekend. But she wouldn't tell them about Bunko or Miyuki.

0-0-0

"Hinata-chan!"

Kimi threw her arms around Hinata's neck and kissed her forehead. Hinata hugged back and giggled along with the red head, thankful for some friendliness.

"Welcome back, youngster." And Ahiko ruffled Hinata's dark blue hair. An image of Ahiko pinned under the knife of a gangster sent a jolt of fear through Hinata and she quickly looked up to examine the elderly woman's face. But she looked fine. Truly and completely fine. Her face was aglow and her smile was pure. Kimi looked good, too, with her cheeks rosy and her mouth constantly curved in a cheeky grin. Her emerald eyes shone with happiness.

The three headed inside and as Kimi filled Hinata in about how boring life was now that they weren't being attacked everyday, Ahiko disappeared into the kitchen to make some lunch and instantly declined Hinata's offer to assist. She didn't do it politely, either, but being lady-like just wasn't Ahiko's style.

"Absolutely not!" She snapped. "Now you sit and if you even so much as _think _about helping me, you'll be scrubbing the toilets for months!"

Hinata thought at that moment that Ahiko would make a good teacher at the Academy. Her punishments were certainly the same as theirs.

Ahiko served onigiri and the three sat in temporary silence as they devoured their meal. Once finished, Ahiko again refused Hinata's help and forced the lavender eyed teen to sit while she and Kimi cleared the table. Hinata itched to help but forced herself to stay still.

Kimi started interrogating her upon returning.

"So? So? How's the Academy? Are ya having fun? Do you like anyone? How's Hitsugaya-taichou? Are you still seeing each other? Are you going out? I swear he liked you!"

The questions/statements stumbled out of her mouth so quickly it took Hinata's overloaded brain a moment to process them. When she recognized the last few her face when from pale to blood-red in a heart beat.

"N-No! H-H-H-Hitsugaya-t-t-t-taichou a-a-and I a-a-are j-j-just f-f-friends!" She stammered. Kimi smirked slyly and Hinata knew she thought she was lying. Or at least, partly lying.

"You like him, don't you?" Kimi prompted and Hinata shook her viciously.

"N-no!" Hinata thought she would die from embarrassment if Kimi pressured her any further. The said red-head seemed to realize this and laughed out loud. Hinata's blush deepened and she looked away. She didn't like Hitsugaya-taichou, and he didn't like her! They were just friends! Completely friends! Just friends...

"Kimi! Stop teasing Hinata, or I'll come hit over the head with a frying pan!" Came Ahiko's voice from the kitchen. Kimi fell silent.

The two blushed and giggled the morning away and before Hinata knew it was two thirty. She thought she'd spent more then enough time inside so she gathered herself up and went outside, Kimi in tow. The air was refreshing on her face. Behind her, Kimi spun around in a circle and collapsed onto the grass. Joy radiated from her features.

And then Hinata felt it.

She hadn't felt the sickening reiatsu of a hollow in some time. Not since the day she died. But it was exactly how she remembered, heavy and horrible, and come as suddenly as last time. It pressed down on her shoulders like bricks and made her want to sag to her knees but she was able to resist the affects. Kimi and Ahiko, however, were not and Ahiko fell to the kitchen floor, panting hard, while Kimi lay plastered to the grassy ground, her eyes wide with terror.

Suddenly the monster lumbered into view and its tail flicked the leafy trees away like they were as weightless as a feather. It was a gigantic hollow, larger then any hollow Hinata had ever seen and she guessed it was a Huge Hollow. The hollow that had killed her seemed tiny in comparison. Its bloody eyes were large, too, and took up all the space on the skull that should've been reserved for the forehead. It's skin was wash-white and its under belly was a greasy purple.

It was starving. Hinata could tell by the look in its eyes.

The hollow spotted her and roared. It swung its tail around viciously but Hinata jumped and sailed over it, high into the sky. She hit the ground lightly but was forced to retreat backwards almost immediately after when the hollow's webbed paw came crashing down on the area of earth she'd been standing on seconds before. It roared in fury and lashed out with its claws. Hinata's skilled feet pushed her out of slashing range but the moment she was in the air the claws extended, faster then her eyes could see, and one buried itself in Hinata's shoulder.

She let out a cry of pain as she and the claw sped across the clearing only to come to a bone-crushing stop as it embedded itself in a near by tree. Hinata was pinned against the bark by the claw and blood was gushing from her shoulder, squeezing through the gap between claw and flesh. Hinata winced and let her head fall and suddenly she was gripped by a coughing fit. Blood leaked between her teeth and splattered against the grass.

The hollow moved steadily closer. Hinata tried desperately to pull the claw away but, predictably, it was unmoveable. So she settled for a more violent approach and raised her hand, palm facing the hollow's bloody eyes.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march to the south! Hakudo san juu ichi: Shakkoho!"

A ball of red-hot fire exploded from Hinata's out stretched palm and hit the hollow right in the face. It let out a blood-curdling scream and threw it's head up into the air, it's mouth agape. Unfortunately, in the process the clumsy hollow flicked the paw the wrong way and failed to wrench the troublesome claw from Hinata's shoulder as she hoped it would have; no, instead it ripped through her arm and Hinata quickly swung her body to the side, allowing the deadly claw to pull free without tearing her arm in half.

The pain was immense. Hinata had never been in such agony before...not even when Bunko and Miyuki had attacked her. Her legs crumbled beneath her and she fell clutching her arm for dear life. Blood pounded out of the wound. It pooled around her. The scent of blood filled her nostrils and the salty tang of it washed over her tongue and slipped out onto the grass. She coughed and her entire body reacted, flinching with pain.

The hollow recovered quickly. There was no marks on its face, Hinata saw, once the smoke cleared and it stopped its horrible howling. It had lurched back out of fear and pain but had escaped without damage, and Hinata doubted she'd been able to frighten it again even with her skills in the Kido field. It was like and reminded her off ninja jutsu.

The hollow lumped forward and its shadow devoured her small and bloody figure. A long, slimy tongue wriggled between its hard stone lips and ran across them hungrily. It had found its next meal.

It leaned forward. It got closer. And closer. And closer. So, so quickly. Hinata's vision was beginning to fade and white streaks fluttered across it. The hollow had started to look more like a huge white-purple blurred blob then the menacing, man-eating monster that it was. Hinata knew there was no use in trying to fight so she simply closed her eyes and waited with a strange sense of calm for those jaws to clamp down on her and drain the life from her, like the blood draining from her wound.

_"__**Hime!**__"  
_

Ookami-san's voice came from no where and yet everywhere and it echoed around Hinata's skull. She slowly, wearily, opened her eyes and saw the hollow's teeth inches away from her hair and its tongue was just about to brush against her head. But it wasn't moving. Neither was her blood, she realized numbly. The pain seemed distant but still stung, like a itch on her back where she couldn't reach. Not agonizingly painful but still painful in its own right.

She lifted her head. Her neck muscles protested hotly but she ignored them. All around her things had frozen. She saw Kimi had struggled to her knees and her mouth was open as though she was screaming. Ahiko had long ago passed out but still clutching the frying pan like a life line. She blinked. _What was going on?_

_"__**Hime! Call out!**__"_

_What? _Hinata thought distantly. The neck pain was increasing and she wanted desperately to go to sleep but she sensed that if she did it would all end. She needed to stay awake and listen to the she-wolf's instructions, if she could manage it.

_"__**Call out, Hime! Stop that monster! You can't hear my name yet-it's the only way!**__"_

_But...but how? I tried to fight it and..._

_"**Your reiatsu isn't regular, Hime! Wish for it, like the healing of those girls! Hime!**"_

Hinata blinked and let her head drop. She felt far, far away, lost on a desert island with nothing but a strange and demanding voice to keep her company. She had healed Bunko and Miyuki, brought them back from the dead. She hadn't meant to, though...

Hinata forced her reiatsu to flare and instantly the illusion of a world set in stone shattered and everything was once again alive and _moving. _The hollow's tongue brushed the top of her head and as Hinata recoiled the thing suddenly stopped and jerked away. She heard it scream again and start to thrash around, fighting some unseen enemy. It's scream rose to a shriek and the hollow turned its head and something like a bright red laser flashed from its mouth and across the sky but hit nothing.

Hinata's strength suddenly faded. She felt exhausted and could no longer keep her reiatsu burning and sucked it back inside. The hollow struggled blindly for a few more moments before realizing the 'danger' had passed, or at least retreated. It's gigantic red eyes searched the area for the invisible foe and were happy to find nothing. It then swung around and marched back to its prey, Hinata, who was just about to sink into unconsciousness due to blood loss.

"HIAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The hollow didn't see the blade until it was too late. The metal dug into its shoulder and was abruptly pulled back and took with it skin and muscle. The monster screamed in pain and lashed out with its tail. The shinigami dodged with evident ease before propelling himself into the air and bringing his spear's end slicing through the hollow's skull. The former monster vanished and was replaced by a middle-aged man wearing a business suit and thick, black sunglasses. He stood still for a moment before fainting.

"Pfft! What a weak hollow. Hardly worth my time..." The shinigami huffed as he turned round and saw Hinata for the first time. She recognized him from somewhere. He was bald and thick necked and strong looking, with thin eyes with red dots painted near them.

Hinata felt someone press a hand to her bleeding shoulder and she screamed despite herself. The pain was just too much and she was glad the hand instantly retreated.

"Ikkaku, she's badly hurt. She used most of her reiatsu, she'll die if we don't act soon!" Hinata's eyes rolled in their sockets and she saw another familiar face. Dark blue hair in bowl cut fashion, purple eyes and yellow and pink feathers sticking out of his face...

"I can see that! Can yer pick her up, Yumichika, without hurting her to much?"

"I don't think so. She's about to pass out, anyway, so it doesn't matter. But I _still _shall do it beautifully."

"Pfft. Whatever. Just pick her up and go. There's some kid over there screaming her freaking head off..."

_Kimi-chan...Ahiko-san..._Hinata thought numbly, before she felt herself being lifted gently from the ground. She took a moment to process the joy of being saved before she lapsed into unconsciousness.

* * *

**!I own neither Bleach nor Naruto!!**

**Hello everybody~! Long time no see :D I hope you enjoyed the chapter...it's alot slower then Six and makes a bit more sense ^^ Speaking of chap. 6, I've read over it again and I'm starting not to like it -_- I think I might rewrite it so it all makes a more sense and it paced a little slower...maybe.**

**But anyway...the Internet is slow! Seriously slow, now that we've used up our usage -_- I do apologize if I'm not on more but I can do hardly anything. Please bare with me.**

**Thanks for reading AND reviewing! Happy New Year!**


	8. Chapter 8

Hinata woke with a blistering headache and to the sound of a heart monitor beeping endlessly beside her bed.

She opened her eyes but found the sunlight too strong and hurriedly closed them. She tried again but took it slower this time and found herself able to withstand the light after blinking several times. The ceiling Hinata stared at was wash-white and dancing with sunlight. She forced her stiff neck to move and she saw the heart monitoring machine sitting patiently beside her, and several other beds all lined up in a perfect row, though only hers appeared to be occupied. She twisted round to look to her right, and saw two girls lying asleep in the beds beside her. They looked familiar but at this angle Hinata couldn't see their faces properly.

_What...__**happened**__...? _Hinata thought wearily. Her entire body ached and her shoulder seared with pain when she tried to move it, though luckily the pain was brief. She heard footsteps, which didn't help her headache. She groaned. She wished she was asleep; she'd been having one of those rare sleeps where she didn't _dream _about talking wolves or ill-tempered ravens or some weird guy with a mullet...

"Oh! You're awake!" A cheerful but somewhat nervous sounding female chirped and Hinata blinked again. The woman standing over her was extremely tall and kinda busty, with a head of wild silver-grey hair. Two beaded strands hung by her neck. Her eyes were a pretty shade of amber and though the anxiety was clear inside them there was also a warm, bubbling kindness. Hinata had glad she was in the care of this woman, and not someone colder.

"I'm Kotetsu Isane, Yonbantai fuku-taichou **(vice-captain)**. How do you feel?" She asked.

"O-okay, I g-guess." Hinata croaked. Her voice was rusty and crackled, like she'd been singing for hours and it had finally gave way. Isane offered a small, timid smile.

"I'll go tell Unohana-taichou. And Hitsugaya-taichou," She added and she sounded like she was reminding herself. "He stopped by so see you."

"T-Toshiro-kun..." Hinata whispered dreamily. Isane's eyes widened slightly but she said nothing and quickly retreated to report to the said captains. Hinata snatched the chance to observe the other girls. The one closest was blond and pretty-looking, and she was beginning to twitch and groan softly. Then suddenly her eyes snapped open and she bolted upright, her eyes wide with fear and confusion.

"H-hi." Hinata said softly. She felt it was impolite to say nothing.

Blondie glanced at her briefly and looked away with a dismissive 'hmph' but suddenly looked back, her eyes widening even further. "_Hyuuga Hinata!_" She snarled and she made Hinata's name sound like an insult. Hinata stared at her for a moment before recognizing her bitchy way of talking.

"M-Maaka Bunko-san?" Hinata was stunned. The person she'd supposedly 'beaten' was sitting right before her with her eyes wide as dinner plates and face white as a sheet. Hinata's heart began to race. Would she remember Hinata's attacking her?

"What are you doing here!" Bunko demanded as she recoiled slightly, as though Hinata was some infectious disease. "How'd you get a wound like that! What the hell could you have done to end up like that!" She didn't sound concerned. Rather frightened for her own safety.

"A-a hollow..." Hinata said slowly, carefully. She was waiting for Bunko to leap up and shout "SHE DID IT!" while jabbing an accusing finger at Hinata's face. So far so good, but for how much longer?

"A hollow? You tried to fight a _hollow? _You baka!" Bunko laughed in earnest. "You could've gotten killed! Only shinigami can fight hollow so there's not point in trying to show off." Then she realized something. "What am I doing at the Relief Station?" Evidently, she did not remember getting attacked at all but was able to tell where she was. Being a noble, Hinata guessed, she'd been here before.

"Y-you w-w-were attacked." Hinata explained.

Bunko's lip curled. "Oh yeah. Some bastard beat me up. I'll kill him!"

"Y-you d-don't remember w-who?"

"No, you twit! If I did, I would've up and gone the moment I woke up!"

"O-oh..."

At that moment a beautiful woman entered with Kotetsu Isane in tow. Her hair was silky and black and plated skilfully down her front. Her eyes were a gentle shade of ocean-blue and her skin was smooth and creamy. An air of peace and calm drifted around her and Hinata's felt her heart slowing to a more reasonable rate. She flashed the two girls a motherly smile.

"Hello, girls. It's good to see you've woken up." Unohana Retsu said and her voice was just as calm and peaceful as her aura. "Maaka-san, do you feel well?"

"I do." Bunko said stiffly and Hinata wondered if Bunko was aware of how arrogant she sounded. As though she was forcing herself to fake respect for the amazing woman standing in front of her. "I want to go home."

"You can't yet, I'm afraid, dear. You were attacked. Tell me, do you remember anything from when it happened?"

"No." Bunko grunted with a slight roll of her eyes. "I don't. Not a thing. It's all black, but I do know something beat me up. So can I go now?"

Unohana's smile never left her face but Hinata could've sworn it was beginning to strain. "I said no, dear. Now for Hinata-san..." She looked away from Bunko and to Hinata, who was still lying down. She would've sat up out of respect but her shoulder just would not allow her to do so. "How do you feel?"

"O-okay, I guess." Hinata repeated exactly what she'd said to the vice-captain. "M-my shoulder hurts a-a-a lot, t-though..." She hoped she didn't sound bratty but Unohana didn't seem to mind.

"That's to be expected, dear. You almost died due to blood loss. Hitsugaya-taichou is very worried about you," She added and Hinata visibly perked up. "He wanted to rush in here but I told him you needed rest. Now Soi Fon-taichou pulled him aside just before Isane got to us. I expected he'll be in a minute, though-ah."

She looked away and Hinata flowed her gaze and found herself blushing. Toshiro rushed over, leaving a short woman with long black hair and sharp blue eyes standing by the door with a somewhat sour expression on her face. Her black hair was tied back into 'pony-tails' with bandages normally used for wrapping wounds. Hinata noticed the haori draped over her shoulders and bit back as shudder. That woman was a captain!

"Hyuuga! Are you alright?" Toshiro demanded and his eyes swept over her, widening ever so slightly even he noticed Hinata's heavily bandaged arm. His fists clenched.

"H-hai, I-I'm okay..."

"I see." And he visibly relaxed, though his fists remained clenched. Hinata tried to image him sitting in the waiting from with Unohana-taichou, brooding over her condition with a strained and concerned expression on his face. She failed. She just couldn't image him stressing over anything.

"Taichou~!" Someone sang and suddenly the most voluptuous and sexiest woman Hinata had ever seen was standing beside Toshiro. Her breasts were gigantic and her hair was long and wavy and strawberry blond in colour. Her eyes were a pretty blue and her full lips were curved into a somewhat seductive smile. A vice-captain badge was tied around her waist, connected to a pink sash, with the kanji for 'ten' written on it and Hinata felt a stab of jealous somewhere within her. To think Toshiro was spending whole days with someone was beautiful as _that..._

But also...she seemed a little familiar.

Her eyes lit up when she saw Hinata. "Well, is _this _Hyuuga Hinata-chan? Nice to meet you! I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, Juubantai **(Tenth Division) **Fuku-taichou. Taichou was _reaaaaalllly _worried about you being hospitalized! He literally dropped his paperwork and-"

"Matsumoto..." And Hinata was scared by just how icy his voice was but Matsumoto didn't appear fazed, though she did close her mouth. She kept smiling like no tomorrow, however, and risked a giggle, despite knowing very well that her captain was pissed at her.

Toshiro glared at her for a moment longer before turning to Hinata and instantly he took on a kinder persona. "Madarame and Aysegawa are outside. They're the people who saved you; do you want to meet them?"

"P-please," Hinata said. She wanted to thank them for saving not only her life, but Kimi's and Ahiko's too. She wondered briefly where they were and guessed they were still at home.

"Please wait," Unohana-taichou said suddenly and Toshiro stopped half-way into giving Matsumoto instructions. "Soi Fon-taichou, is there something you need?"

"I need to question Maaka and Kagurashi." The short woman replied coolly and her eyes never left Unohana's face.

"I don't remember anything!" Maaka snapped. She was furious about both being ignored and the fact Hinata was getting so much attention.

"That's for me to determine." Soi Fon flashed back.

"Soi Fon-taichou, could this please wait for another time?"

Soi Fon looked ready to protest but quickly changed her mind and, with a curt nod, whisked out the door with a whirl of her captain's haori. Hinata didn't say she was glad to see the icy woman leave.

Soi Fon wasn't all cold and business, though, because a second later the men who'd saved Hinata's life came through the door and Soi Fon was obviously to one who told them they were needed.

They were exactly as Hinata remembered them. The bald-guy had his sword's scabbard resting on his shoulder and looked somewhat annoyed but curious at the same time. Feather-guy tossed his hair 'beautifully' and smiled charmingly at Hinata.

"Hello, Hinata-san. I'm Aysegawa Yumichika. This is Madarame Ikkaku. We're of the Jyuuichibantai **(Eleventh Division)**. Nice to meet you...officially." Feather-guy said and Hinata offered a small smile. Ikkaku made of 'pfft' sound.

"Th-thank you f-f-for s-s-saving me, A-Aysegawa-san, M-Madarame-san." Hinata said gratefully and she was surprised when neither corrected her. She expected they had a seat of some sort but if they did, they appeared not to care what she called them despite her being a mere student.

"When you graduate, join Jyuuichibantai." Ikkaku ordered her as he thrust his scabbard forward, like he was pointing a finger at her. "You're a good fighter! We could use people like you!"

"Now, now, Ikkaku, you'll scare her off."

"Shut up, Yumichika!"

"Be quite please," Unohana-taichou said sweetly...but she had changed. Evil and death radiated off her like warmth off the sun and suddenly the room seemed to lack any heat at all. Hinata felt a shudder ripple down her spin and her face paled. Toshiro didn't fair much better.

"H-hai, ma'am." Ikkaku said in a shaky voice. Yumichika simply nodded rapidly.

"Good boys. Now, everybody leave. I need to look my patients over. Hinata should be out in about three days or so. Four, possibly. Now, out you go."

Toshiro and Hinata shared a brief smile before he disappeared out the door with Matsumoto close behind. Outwardly, she was smiling. Inwardly, however, she was frowning and fretting as she battled with the possibility that Toshiro didn't love Hinamori after all.

0-0-0

Hinamori Momo was alone. There was no light in her large room for she had closed her the windows, pulled down all the blinds. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to forget the outside world existed for a while. She wanted to lose herself in the darkness because this way, and only this way, could she remember the dream she'd had that night of _him..._

_Hinamori's muddy brown eyes widened in pure shock. Her Inner World's fields of roses and peach trees were burning, burning before her every eyes, swallowed whole by a raging sea of flames. She was wearing clothes severally sizes too big and a torn and battered cap swirled around her in the hot and heavy winds. The sky was choked with ash and her throat stung with each swallow. She was boxed in by a ferocious ring of fire and the roar of the flames eating her world away drowned out the sound of her own screaming..._

_And then someone appeared. Someone clad in white with a dark purple sash wrapped round his waist, vanishing into the folds of his clothing. His hair was short and dark brown like her own. His eyes were a magnificent shade of chocolate-brown and his mouth was curved in that forever-there smile, the smile that had won her love so many years ago..._

_"Aizen...taichou..." Hinamori whispered and her voice was lost amongst the screams of the flames._

_Aizen chuckled pleasantly. His lips moved but Hinamori couldn't understand what he was staying. Over head a raven shrieked impatiently and its blood-red eyes scanned the ground, as though searching for someone, someone other then the brunette that was displayed. _

_And suddenly he was turning around and being swallowed up by the flames._

_"Aizen-taichou!" Hinamori cried and she raced forward. "Aizen-taichou! Aizen-taichou! No! NO! Aizen-taichou!"_

_"I'm sorry, Hinamori-kun." His voice echoed loud and clear inside her mind, as though he was standing right beside her rather then fading away into the black. "But I can't speak with you unless you'll help me."_

_Hinamori began to cry. "A-Aizen-taichou! Aizen-taichou!"_

_"Farewell, Hinamori-kun..."_

"AIZEN-TAICHOU!"

Hinamori blinked back fresh tears. She loved two men, she realized now; Hitsugaya Toshiro, her childhood friend, and Aizen Souske, a traitor to the Soul Society but...but Hinamori sometimes forgot that. She had loved him since the first day they'd met...the moment he'd gently caressed her head with his hand, the moment she'd seen him smile, heard his voice...Aizen was her own personal angel whom she craved for like a cocaine addict.

Was he entering her dreams? She wondered. Or was this just some random dream brought on by her addiction? Would she ever see him again, in her these dreams of fire and ravens? She swallowed hard and buried her head in her hands. What of Toshiro? He would definitely be concerned about her mental state if she spoke to him of these dreams...and Hinamori feared facing him. They'd fought not long ago and Hinamori was beginning to realize her love for Aizen Souske was greater then her love for Hitsugaya Toshiro.

"Aizen-taichou..." She whispered.

0-0-0

The three and a half days Hinata spent glued to the hospital bed were extremely..._boring. _

Hinata knew she should've felt honoured; her condition had stabilized without problem and her only symptom was slight shoulder pain and drowsiness but Unohana insisted that she be the one to care for her. Most academy students were left in the hands of unseated or low ranking officers when the injuries were so insignificant, though Hinata guessed her shoulder might of proved a problem. Apparently, quite a few muscles had been ripped apart by the hollow and would take some time to heal; she was lucky her arm wasn't permanently out of use.

As for Bunko and Miyuki...well, they remembered absolutely nothing about being attacked. Miyuki had complained of nightmares, but apart from that her memories were blank. Soi Fon, the Second Division captain, had returned in the hopes of finding information but was only frustrated by their lack of it. She'd left the Relief Station in a fury with her fat vice-captain stumbling after her, shoving hand-fulls of chips into his mouth and his golden chains and rings jingling with every step.

Toshiro came to visit her everyday, too. And though it was clear the Fourth Division members were curious about the fact Toshiro didn't seem to care in the slightest and said flatly that it was none of their business if they asked. Several of the female doctors had confronted Hinata about this and with rosy cheeks and that horrid stutter hindering her words she'd tried to explain they were just friends. Not romantic at all. At _all._

"Here's your lunch, Hinata-san." The shinigami placed the tray on Hinata's lap and she smiled at him.

"Th-thanks, H-Hanatarou-kun."

"That's fine." Yamada Hanatarou straightened and smiled back and his face seemed to glow. Hanatarou was only a bit older then Hinata appearance-size, with short brown hair that framed his face and pale blue droopy eyes. They were a lot alike. Both shy and timid and stuttered when nervous, but also loyal to their friends and somewhat confident in their ability to move forward. He was officially Hinata's best friend in fourth squad. He was kind and warm and was the only one who wasn't nervous around Hinata due to the colour of her eyes.

The fact full-fledged shinigami (doctors, maybe, but still shinigami) were frightened and almost unnerved by the colour of her eyes had taken Hinata by surprise. It occurred to her then that perhaps the students at the Academy didn't hate her as much as they appeared to; maybe they were scared by the fact Hinata could see perfectly find without a visible pupil or iris. Of course, she had both; they were just so faint that they blended in with everything else, though her iris did take on a lavender shade.

Hinata picked up her chop sticks and scoped some rice smothered in sauce into her mouth. Her cheeks rose in a smile without her consent. Unlike the hospitals she'd done up around, the food here was edible and didn't want to make you throw up with every second bite. It was all hand-made.

"O-ooshi! **(delicious!)**" Hinata exclaimed and her cheeks turned rosy. Whoever prepared the meals was a genius in the kitchen.

"You like it?" Hanatarou inquired despite the fact it was clear she did.

Hinata nodded before swallowing the food down and shoving in some more. "Mm-hmm."

"That's good. A-ano..." He frowned ever so slightly. "Unohana-taichou said you're good to go today. She was going to tell you herself...but she sent me inside because I was coming anyway."

"H-Honto **(really)**? G-great." Hinata quickly finished her meal and placed the tray aside, but not before clasping her hands together and giving thanks for her meal. She made to move out of the bed but stopped when she noticed Hanatarou's sober face.

"...Hanatarou-kun? I-Is something w-wrong?" She asked and her worry showed clearly in her voice.

"...I...I don't have many friends," The brunette boy admitted. "I-I was kinda hoping you'd stay longer. I-it was fun talking to you..."

"I-I'll visit." Hinata promised and Hanatarou immediately perked up. Hinata tossed him a smile and he threw one right back. Hinata was glad she'd met Hanatarou; he was a really good guy, though a little sensitive. He was so nice. And cute. Nice and cute. What was better?

_"__**How 'bout Toshiro?**__"_ Okami-san suggested out of nowhere and Hinata yelped in surprise.

"H-Hinata-san?" Hanatarou asked anxiously as Hinata blushed and Okami-san laughed to her heart's content. "What's wrong?"

"N-n-nothing!" Hinata lied and she leapt out of bed. Hanatarou showed her to where her uniform was (she was wearing a standard issue hospital kimono, thin, wash-white material that stopped at her knees) and left her to dress. He then saw her off with a wave before disappearing into the Relief Station to inform Unohana-taichou of Hinata's departure.

And so Hinata realized she had no idea how the hell she was going to get back to the Academy.

"...Oh fish sausage..." She huffed.

0-0-0

Isane screamed and the shinigami assembled jumped in fright.

"Wh-what's wrong, fuku-taichou-dono!" A man demanded.

"Fish sausage!" Isane gasped.

"...fu-...fuku-taichou..."

0-0-0

_Did someone just scream? _Toshiro blinked but shrugged it off. He must've been imaging things.

He continued along the route to the Relief Station but stopped when he saw the very girl he'd been planning to visit walking towards the Fifth Division Barracks with a lost expression on her face. Toshiro allowed himself a small smile as he studied her. Her eye brows were pressing together, her mouth was pouting, her cheeks were pink; she looked so cute. Then he realized what he'd thought and mentally slapped himself and shock his head. _Focus, Hitsugaya Toshiro! Focus!_

"Hyuuga!" He called out and he started towards her; the lavender-eyed girl looked up and smiled upon seeing him.

"T-Toshiro-kun!" She chirped merrily.

He frowned. "Oi, I told you its 'Hitsugaya-taichou'."

"Oh, sorry." She apologized though the smile never left her face.

"So...why are you heading towards the fifth?" He asked and his question was met with a bemused stare.

"...The f-fifth?" She echoed.

"Yeah. If you keep heading that why, you'll find the Gobantai **(Fifth Division)** barracks."

"...Oh fiddle sticks..."

"Pardon?"

"I-I'm lost." Hinata confessed. "I-I'm t-trying to g-get back to the A-Academy, but.."

The sides of Toshiro's mouth twitched with eagerness to smile but he managed to keep them in place. "I see. Come on, I'll take you."

"T-thanks."

And the two started walking, and much to Hinata's embarrassment it was in the entirely opposite direction. They passed through the Fourth district in silence and then took a hidden route around the Third which Toshiro claimed that only he used. When Hinata asked why, his cheeks had gone red and he'd refused to answer, though he did mumble something similar to 'Matsumoto...old division...' under his breath. The hidden path took them right past the Second and First Divisions but Hinata was ecstatic when she managed to get a glimpse of the Commander General, who's full name she couldn't remember. In her head, he was just 'Yamamoto-so-taichou'. No first or middle name required.

Eventually they found themselves walking alone the side of the river that flowed right past the Academy, talking and laughing amongst themselves. They darted between the trees that grew along the bank; Hinata hadn't noticed before this time, but many of the trees roots poked out of the ground in wavy patterns, ducking in and out of the soil, and she was careful about where she put her feet.

"...Oi...Hyuuga..." Came Toshiro's voice from behind her. The boy-captain had fallen behind not long ago, apparently lost in thought, and Hinata had known better then to try and lure him out of it.

"Hai?" Hinata said and she turned around to face him, hands together.

"I have something I need to discuss with-" He cut off suddenly as his foot snagged on a root prodding out of the soil and he fell forward, towards where Hinata stood...

...and their lips touched.

For a second they simply froze. Unable to move while their minds processed the fact they were _kissing. _Then Toshiro _jumped _back with his cheeks ablaze.

"S-s-s-s-s-sorry!" He stuttered and his cheeks and ears burned bright red. "I-I-I-I tripped!" He quickly stepped over the root and checked the general area for more. "I-I'm s-s-so sorry! I wasn't watching what I was...doing.." He trailed off when he realized Hinata hadn't made a single move since his accidental kissing her.

"...Hyuuga?" He said after a moment. She didn't answer, so he tried again. "Oi, Hyuuga? You alright?"

Hinata's face suddenly went crimson. She couldn't believe Toshiro had just kissed her, had actually _kissed _her...and then the girl did something she hadn't done in over a month; she keeled over and fainted.

Toshiro, having only known her for a short time, had no idea that Hinata was prone to faint was furiously embarrassed and was immediately alarmed. He whipped out and caught her before she hit the ground and laid her gently on the floor, while pressing a hand to her forehead and checking her pulse with the other.

"Oi! Hyuuga! Don't faint on me! Hyuuga!"

Hinata just mumbled unintelligent things under her breath before dropping off the world completely.

* * *

**!I own neither Bleach nor Naruto!**

**Hello peoples! Nice to be back ^^ Thanks for all the nice comments over my absence, they made my day. **

**Anyway...here's the next boring, uneventful chapter! -*- I was gonna make an arrancar pop up and fight Toshiro and hit on Hinata, but I sent that chap to the story grave yard. It seemed way too random and silly (an arrancar fight right after she's recovered from a hollow? pfft) I added Hanatarou in because I _love _him and because I think he and Hinata are alike; _and _because he could become a potential love-rival from Toshiro's point of view X3 I also tried to add a little humour into this...but I've never been good at writing humour. And yes, Isane is terrified of fish sausages. Both in anime and manga. You can't be very far in if she hasn't screamed "FISH SAUSAGES!" yet.**

**We're getting closer to an important chapter in the plot! *squeals* And Hinamori's dream is random! It has meaning to the plot!**

**Thanks for sticking with me for so long and reading! Please review! It makes be feel so good!**


	9. Chapter 9

"...Ookami-san?"

Hinata was certain that she was once again dreaming. She stood alone in her personal world of snow and ice, which looked even more alive then before. There were more trees and more flowers, glistening like crystals in the forever-there winter light. The large puddle had grown to the size of a lake and sparkled all the shades of the rainbow, dazzling Hinata's eyes. Lilies had also begun to grow on the surface.

Lavender lilies.

"Ookami-san?" Hinata repeated as panic began to bubble in her stomach. It was bad enough dreaming of fire and ravens and some strange looking man without having Ookami-san abandon her; she was the only friendly spirit which inhabited her mind.

"**Fret not, Hime, I am here.**"

Hinata squealed in surprise and immediately blushed in embarrassment after and turned around to face the silver-furred she-wolf. She was smiling in that amused way mothers did when their child had done something funny. But she also looked...tired. As though she had not slept in some time. Hinata frowned slightly in concern and Ookami-san chuckled.

"**Don't worry about me. I'm sure you're aware by now that there is an intruder here.**" Her voice grew bitter. "**I...I have been trying to chase the damned creature out of here but so far my attempts have been pointless. The man disappears without a trace whenever I get close! Damn him!**"

Hinata flinched. She had never heard the she-wolf so upset before. "O-Ookami-san?" Hinata said tentatively. "Wh...what is it? The man? And the raven and f-fire?" Hinata had always hated fire.

"**He is a konpaku **(spirit/soul)." She said flatly. "**A konpaku who appears to have the ability to enter another person's dreams...but it doesn't end there. There is a power like none I've seen before in his chest. The raven...hmmmm...the power in his chest sort of despatches a fragment of itself and turns that into the raven. The fire...well, I really have idea what's that about. Perhaps its his Inner World?**" She suggested and Hinata had the feeling she starting to have a discussion with herself.

"...Ookami-san.."

"**Hm?**"

"Wh-what are you?"

The she-wolf was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. Hinata jumped in surprise and pulled her hands to her chest. Had she said something funny? She didn't believe so.

"**...Oh, Hime, Hime, Hime! You still haven't figured out what I am?**" The she-wolf chuckled. "**I am your zanpaku-to.**"

Hinata's eyes grew wide as dinner plates. The zanpaku-to was the shinigami's _katana _and their main power. The zanpaku-to was a spirit with feelings and memories and a personality, and supposedly was born and died with the shinigami. There were two stages: Shikai and Bankai, both of which Hinata had only just begun to study about at the Academy but had already gained a lot of knowledge about from Toshiro. Shikai was the first stage and mastering it meant you were well on your way to becoming a powerful, high-ranked shinigami. Bankai was ten times stronger then Shikai and it was mandatory for all captain-class shinigami to have at least achieved it (the only exception being Zaraki Kenpachi, but Hinata hadn't been told why).

It was extremely rare for students to be talking to their zanpaku-to during the Academy, much less their first year. It was almost unheard of...and if that was so rare, Hinata was pretty darn sure that talking to your zanpaku-to before you were even _dead _never happened. Hinata swallowed.

"R-really?" She was, for some reason, having a hard time believing it. It made sense, after all, for Ookami-san to be her zanpaku-to spirit. She lived in Hinata's Inner World, Hinata couldn't hear her actual name, she seemed to know what Hinata was feeling...she fit the bill.

"**Yes, I am, Hime. Your zanpaku-to.**"

"Whoa..."

"**Hime, as much as I'd like to discuss this, we need to address another matter. The man with the power is accessing your dreams regularly and I have no means of stopping him. A few weeks ago, I was going to ask you to create a sort of 'barrier' around your sub-consciousness. I would've guided you through it, but I wasn't fast enough. That evil reiatsu cut through the barrier I'd set up and...well...**"

"A-attacked me?" Hinata suggested. She remembered the pain that night, back when she had first met Ahiko and Kimi and when the bandits had returned for their revenge. She had been in utter agony, screaming and crying and clawing at whatever was in range. She shuddered at the memory.

"**No.**" Ookami-san said much to Hinata's bewilderment. "**It...it was trying to do something else. I believe it was trying to...to **_**absorb **_**your reiatsu, hime. Or perhaps it was trying to get you to absorb **_**it.**_**"**

"B-but why?"

"**I haven't a clue. But we'll talk about this-and other things-later, Hime. You need to wake up.**"

Hinata blinked. "Wake up?" She mumbled before the ground suddenly lurched beneath her and she was falling, _falling_, _**falling**_ into a never ending sea of black...

0-0-0

"She fainted?"

"Yeah..."

"Why?"

"..."

"...Hitsugaya-taichou? Is something wrong?"

"Eh..."

Hinata groaned and her eyes fluttered open. And she found herself staring once again at the Relief Station ceiling. Geez. She hoped she wasn't making a habit of ending up in here.

"Oh, she's wake." A woman said and Hinata recognized the voice as Unohana Retsu. She groaned again. She was burdening the powerful captain for the second time in one week. Gosh, was she really that much of a trouble-magnet? Hinata blinked. What was she doing in the Relief Station again? Had she hit her head or something? The memory was hazy...

Looking round, she saw she was lying in a hospital bed but was still wearing her school uniform and around her bed stood Unohana, a captain with long white hair, and Toshiro-

Hinata's heart skipped a beat. Ah. _Now _she remembered what she was there for. She fainted after Toshiro _kissed her!_

_Ahh...wh-what should I do? _Hinata thought desperately as her face began to heat up. _He-he-he k-k-k-kissed me! Wh-what should I say? D-does he like me? Seriously? I-I t-t-thought w-we were just **friends!**_

"Unohana-san, her face is..." The white haired man said and Unohana frowned and placed a hand on Hinata's forehead, which Hinata's eyes followed. She didn't want to look at Toshiro yet.

"No fever." Unohana announced and she withdrew her hand; Hinata looked up and briefly her and Toshiro's gazes locked. His cheeks went up in flames and instantly they were looking off at something else.

The white haired captain frowned when he noticed Toshiro's face. "Hitsugaya-taichou, your face is going red. Do you feel unwell?" He questioned.

"Huh? N-no, Ukitake, I feel fine..."

Ukitake's thick, black eye brow rose. Hitsugaya? Stuttering? That didn't add up. The elderly man shared a glance with Unohana, who appeared to be thinking the same thing. And somehow the two formed a plan through eye contact alone and swiftly they both pulled back from the situation.

"I'm going to find Isane," Unohana explained as she headed towards the door with Ukitake close behind.

"I'll help," He offered and immediately they were gone.

Toshiro silently fumed. He had a sneaking suspicion that they two would be pressing their ears against the now-closed door and listening to every word they said and then acting like they were completely innocent later in the day. Hinata hadn't even heard Unohana leave as she sat up; all she was concerned about was Toshiro and his 'kiss'.

What followed was a very thick and tense silence that only darkened the blush on Hinata's cheeks. Toshiro avoided her eyes and tried to think up something to say; he might as well have trying to figure out the meaning of life, for all that he came up with. He decided to just apologize. To tell the truth; he called out, she turned, he tripped, they kissed. A big misunderstanding. Which Toshiro, though he would never say it would loud, wasn't particularly upset over...

"Um...Hyuuga?"

"H-h-hai?" Her voice was frighteningly soft.

"About...about earlier...I'm sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going, and I tripped, and, well..."

Toshiro swallowed. Hinata twiddled her thumbs and bit her lip.

"I-I see." She mumbled. The silence that followed was extremely..._awkward. _Hinata had never felt so out of place in her life. Nor had she been so full of disbelief. Toshiro had _kissed _her-but by accident. She needed to remember that. He hadn't forced himself upon her or anything...he'd just _tripped..._For some reason that made Hinata blush even more.

"W-well, er...I-I should be getting back to the-the squad..." Toshiro muttered and Hinata followed suit.

"Y-yeah, I-I have school...t-t-to attend..." She jumped out of bed and bowed quickly in his direction before hurrying out the door; she didn't even notice Unohana and Ukitake leap back just in time to avoid the swinging door. Her speed went from walking to run in the blink of an eye and Hinata found herself racing down the hallways, dodging past doctors and nurses and carts overloaded with medical supplies. At some point in her run she'd momentarily closed her eyes...and bowled right into someone.

Hinata was thrown back by the impact. She scrambled to her feet fast, though, and bowed low to the fourth divisioner. "F-f-forgive me, I-I wasn't w-watching w-w-where I was-"

"H-Hinata-san?"

Hinata stopped and looked up to see Yamada Hanatarou heaving himself off the ground with a bag of cleaning utensils held firmly against his chest. The bag was big and he had to stand on the side in order to see her properly. He smiled.

"Hello again."

Hinata smiled, too. "H-Hi, Hanatarou-kun," She said and straightened.

Hinata followed Hanatarou around after that. She helped him put the equipment away and volunteered to help with his daily duties despite his protests and soon lost herself in the scrubbing of floors and cleaning of gutters. She also started to enjoy herself. One of Hinata's strong points had always been house hold chores; her father said she'd make a perfect house-wife, though he'd meant it as an insult. And as the fourth division was looked down upon by most of shinigami, it was probably considered an insult here, too; but Hinata didn't care. Perhaps she'd join the fourth after she'd graduated. Healing people and saving lives didn't seem like such a bad career path.

"Thanks, Hinata-san." Hanatarou puffed as they finally located the closet in which the brooms were stored and were able to stuff theirs' inside. "I got finish in half the time I usually do, thanks to your help."

"I-it's fine." Hinata said and her cheeks coloured faintly at his praise. Hanatarou really was nice. Nicer then most guys she knew. And he wasn't at all _awkward _to talk to...

"Do you want to get something to eat?" Hanatarou suggested and Hinata realized she was in fact hungry. A small part of her brains urged her to return to her classes but she pushed it aside. The academy had been notified of her hospitalization and would assume she was still bed bound; why rush? She followed Hanatarou didn't the cafeteria, which earned her a few curious glances but nothing close to hostile. They collected their food and found themselves a stable at the back of the room and sat down with their lunch. Hinata had ordered some simple sushi and rice with soy sauce and Hanatarou had ordered something similar, but there was green stuff-probably veggies-sprinkled into his rice.

As Hinata started eating she noticed someone out of the corner of her eye and looked up. She saw shinigami woman with dark brown hair pulled into a bun and soft brown eyes and smooth-looking skin hurrying through the cafeteria with a purse tucked under her arm. She looked somewhat distressed as she stopped to ask some shinigami men something and only then did Hinata spot the vice-captain badge. On it was the kanji for 'five'.

"Wh-who's that?" She asked and titled her head towards the distressed brunette.

Hanatarou followed her gaze and gasped. "T-that's Hinamori fuku-taichou!" When he saw Hinata's blank stare his mouth fell open like a jaw bridge. "H-Hinamori-fuku-taichou is the Gobantai fuku-taichou," He explained. "She's running Gobantai since Aizen-taichou disappeared."

Hinata frowned. She'd heard that name before; Toshiro had talked briefly about the brown haired, glasses-wearing shinigami captain who'd abandoned his post not four weeks before Hinata's death. Toshiro had said no more, though. He'd seemed reluctant to talk about Aizen Souske at all and he'd ignored or avoided any questions about him Hinata had asked. Eventually, she'd given up...but Hanatarou seemed to know something. Asking _him _wasn't against the law, was it?

"A-ano, Hanatarou-kun, w-why did Aizen-taichou disappear?" She asked carefully. If it was a touchy subject for Toshiro, then why not the other shinigami too?

"Um...I'm not sure...s-sorry." He admitted and Hinata deflated. "But I know he f-faked his death and blamed the ryoka for it."

Now the ryoka Hinata knew of: Kurosaki Ichigo, Ishida Uyruu, Sado Yasutora, Shihoin Yoruichi, Shiba Ganju, Inoue Orihime. A shinigami with a sword as long as his body; the last known Quincy; a Mexican Japanese man with insane physical power; a two-hundred year old shunpo-master who'd abandoned her post over a hundred years earlier; a member of the once all-powerful Shiba Clan with a grudge against the shinigami; and a somewhat harmless human girl with the ability to create near unbreakable shields and low power attacks that did little against shinigami. Toshiro had refused to teach her anything before she knew of those six individuals.

And Aizen had used them to fake his death. Why? Hinata wondered. He must've been plotting something absolutely horrible if he had to go as far to fake his death in order to escape detection. And that plan had already been executed if he had vanished into a different dimension. Hinata began to pout. Why hadn't Toshiro trusted her with such information? She had no friends beside him and Hanatarou; who could she have told? Hanatarou already knew Aizen was gone and wasn't in a hurry to find out more bad things about the legendary captain and Hinata didn't promise to keep her mouth shut for the fun of it.

_Doesn't he trust me?_

0-0-0

"Do you know where Unohana-taichou is?" Hinamori asked the fourth divisioner, who shook his head and apologized for the inconvenience. But the vice-captain said nothing; she just whipped around and charged of the room, hell bent of finding the captain.

She'd finally come to her senses. Of course, her dream of fire and ravens and _Aizen _(**not **Aizen-taichou) had been induced by her lack of sleep and her current anxiety. It was _impossible _to enter a shinigami's dreams without a powerful object backing you up and as far as Hinamori knew the only weapon Aizen had was his zunpaku-to. But all that could do was cast illusions, not access dreams.

She took a swift turn and marched down the hall. She barely knew where she was going despite having spent quite a bit of time couped up in here recovering. She rounded another corner and ran into some short person and she hissed in frustration. She just wanted to find Unohana so she could get some pills, for god's sake! Was that so much to ask?-

"H-Hinamori?"

Hinamori blinked and then gaped. She'd run straight into Hitsugaya Toshiro, her childhood friend and supposed boyfriend. And whatever worry Hinamori had felt over seeing him before evaporated in that one instant; she was shocked by how happy she was to see him.

"Shiro-chan!" She cried and threw her arms around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder. Toshiro's muscles stiffened but he didn't push her away; rather, he gently stroked her back as she started to sob.

"Hinamori, what's wrong?" He asked softly.

"I-I've been having weird dreams." She whispered. "I need to see Unohana-taichou...I...I'm starting to get scared..."

"Okay. Come on, she's just down here-" The second Toshiro fell silent his body froze and Hinamori frowned in confusion. She glanced up and saw he was staring over her shoulder, wide-eyed, at someone. She followed his gaze and saw a little girl with short purple-blue hair and strange lavender eyes standing by the corner and she was wearing a school uniform. Hinamori wondered briefly what an Academy student was doing here but before she could ask the girl turned on heel and ran.

Hinamori sniffed. "Wh-who was that, Shiro-chan?"

Toshiro took a moment to answer. "That was Hyuuga Hinata."

"The girl-the girl you trained?"

"Yeah..."

"She looked upset." Hinamori commented before resting her head against his shoulder again. She felt so, so tired. She barely slept a wink since the dream. And everyday since Aizen's face had appeared when closed her eye lids. But when she was Toshiro...all her problems seemed non-existent. There was just her and him and their relationship, as bumpy as it may be.

_What was I thinking, considering that I loved Aizen more then Shiro-chan? That's crazy! _Hinamori mentally scolded herself.

"...Unohana's down this way." Toshiro said at last and he took Hinamori's hand and led her into the room Hinata had occupied half an hour ago.

0-0-0

Hinata had no idea why she was running. Toshiro was just her friend, after all. If he had a girlfriend, then good for him. There was no law against captains falling in love. They were just friends. She shouldn't feel like she'd been betrayed; her chest shouldn't hurt the way it did. Nor should tears be sprouting in her eyes. Definitely not tears.

Hinata ran into the cafeteria and was immediately spotted by Hanatarou and the boy hurried over. He took her arm carefully to slow her down and then quickly lead her out of the crowded room and into the near deserted hallway. Only then did he notice her tears, her shuddering breaths, her red cheeks. His pale eyes widened.

"H...Hinata-san?" He said quietly, uncertainly. He didn't really know how to handle weeping women. "Wh-what's wrong?"

Hinata looked up at him through blurry eyes. She took in his gentle gaze and kind face and the concerned etched into his features and allowed her crying to grow louder. She thrust herself into his chest and clung to him, weeping and weeping and weeping. Hanatarou blushed and remained still for a moment. Then, ever so slowly, he raised his hand and stroked her hair and hugged her back.

"H-Hinata-s-san," Hanatarou stammered and his blush deepened. "I-I don't know w-what's wrong, b-but...but I-I'll stay with you. O-okay?"

Hinata responded by burying herself further into his shihakusho. Hanatarou replied by hugging her tighter. And as Hinata cried her heart out, Toshiro led a teary Hinamori to Unohana and the brunette told Unohana of her problems in a hushed voice. Toshiro just stood by and stared out the window and tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his chest that had nothing to do with injury.

* * *

**!I own neither Bleach nor Naruto!**

**Hello ^^ As promised, a quick update. But I apologize for the chap's shortness. I'll try and make then next one longer!**

**Heh...Hanatarou _has _become a love rival XD Geez. Poor Toshiro. I'm making it hard for him to get the girl, huh? And you'd think the accident kiss would bring them closer, huh? Well, apparently not...**

**Ookami-san has RETURNED! Finally! I've been wanting to tell you guys officially what she was for SO DAMN LONG!**

**Thanks for reading! Please review! I'll be so happy!**


	10. Chapter 10

"Feel better?"

"H-h-h-hai..."

Hinata lifted the tea to her mouth with shaky hands and relished in the warmth that bathed over her lips. Sweet, hot liquid tickled her tongue. A shudder of pleasure rippled through her body and she took another grateful sip. Hanatarou watched her for a moment and then took a swig of his own tea and his eyes momentarily closed.

Hinata and Hanatarou were sitting outside of Hanatarou's room on the veranda. Hours had passed since Hinata was overcome by sadness and tears and the moon had long since risen, huge and silver and washing watery light over the Seireitei. There was a small herb garden out the front of his room and the different herbs sparkled shades of grey and silver in the moonlight.

Hanatarou hadn't left Hinata's side, except for when he gotten some tea. But Hinata was always in seeing-range. He was terrified she'd do something to herself, as shaken up and teary as she was. He didn't want to come back and find her smashing furniture or burying her nails into her skin. Doctor or not, he'd panic first before composing himself and getting on with treatment.

Hinata drank some more tea. It was so warm, she could feel it travelling down her throat. And it felt wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. She tugged the blanket that was draped over her shoulders closer to her body, covering her about hairless neck, her knees and her exposed legs.

She wasn't wearing her school uniform anymore. Seeing as she probably wouldn't be going back in a bit she'd requested not long ago for nothing else to wear; Hanatarou hadn't come in with her, of course, but he'd remained close by the door with his hands together. She wore a dark purple kimono with a pretty red rose pattern sown into the hem and the sash around her waist was a pale pink.

"...Ha-Hanatarou-kun...y-you w-won't tell a-a-anyone, w-will you?" Hinata said so softly her voice was just barely a whisper.

Hanatarou shook his head. "I-I promise I won't tell anyone."

Hinata smiled. A small, sad smile, yes, but a smile all the same.

Hinata's protective walls had crumbled. In her hysteria, she'd told Hanatarou everything about the Academy, about her life, about her Inner World-and about the evil presence that attacked her at random times without reason. And thus she told him about Miyuki and Bunko and their savage beating, how she'd had no control over her body as she battled with the darkness and had surfaced only to find her hands slick with blood.

"D-do..." Hinata breathed. "Do you b-b-believe me?"

"H-Hinata-san doesn't seem like the kind of person who would lie." Hanatarou replied with a slight smile and lifted the cup to his lips. Hinata did the same. The warmth flooded her body and she let out a sigh of relief, of bliss; it felt _so good. _

"Hinata-san, where will you go now?" Hanatarou asked and Hinata blinked. She hadn't thought about going anywhere. The moon was up, the stars were out; the Academy would be on lock down. They wouldn't let anyone but a shinigami in till the sun had risen, and said shinigami had to have a written permission slip from their captain. And Unohana believed Hinata had already gone home, hours ago.

She shrugged. "I-I don't know."

"You can stay here." Hanatarou offered. "I-I'll sleep on the floor."

Hinata's cheeks brightened and she looked at him and saw he was flashing a genuine smile. Hinata's eyes widened ever so slightly. "H-Hanatarou-kun..."

"It's fine." He insisted and his eyes closed as the smile grew wider.

Hinata giggled quietly, briefly. "T-thanks."

0-0-0

"Feel better?"

"Uh-huh."

Hinamori pulled the cup to her lips. Cold, icy water washed over her tongue; and a tiny white pill bounced across it. She swallowed the pill down with a sigh and sat the glass beside her bed. She would finally be able to sleep without worrying about seeing _him. _Toshiro gave Hinamori a quick look-over glance before walking to the candle and blowing it out; darkness engulfed the room.

"Oyosumi, Hinamori." The young captain said and he started towards the door only to be stopped by Hinamori's outstretched hand gripping his own. He froze and looked over his shoulder.

"Hinamori?"

He couldn't see her face in the darkness, and the fact she'd pulled the blanket up over her mouth didn't help. He only saw her chocolate-brown eyes twinkled in the near non-existent light and felt her smooth skin of her hand rubbing against his own.

"...Please...please stay with me, Shiro-chan." She whispered. "Until I fall asleep."

He stared at her for a moment. Then, willingly, he nodded.

"Alright."

0-0-0

A day later, and Hinata gathered her things and forced herself to leave for the Academy.

She _needed _to get back. She'd been gone for far too long and had undoubtedly fallen behind in her studies. And she was positive if she spent anymore time avoiding departure, either Unohana or Toshiro would come and collect or or she'd be expelled. She wanted neither, especially expulsion.

Hanatarou walked her to the Academy. He explained to the people at the gate that Hinata had remained at the hospital for longer then previously thought and he apologized for keeping her. The guard simply rolled his eyes and kicked the gate open and it was quite care he didn't give a damn why Hinata was late back after being attacked by a hollow. Hinata rolled her shoulders before picking up her stuff. It was good to be out a sling.

"A-are you sure I can k-keep this?" Hinata asked and she indicated the purple kimono folded up against her chest.

Hanatarou nodded. "Yeah. Unohana-taichou said it was fine."

Of course, Unohana had figured out Hinata wasn't at school and had scolded her for it but when Hanatarou said she'd started crying, the motherly captain had let the subject slid, for which Hinata was grateful. Hanatarou wouldn't tell anyone about her 'problem' but Unohana would. She was a captain, after all, and she had duties to for fill.

"O-okay. Um, bye, Hanatarou-kun." Hinata bowed and then turned on heel and darted off into the Academy walls.

Hanatarou waved. "I'll visit!" He promised.

Hinata laughed and waved back. "Okay!"

And the guard slammed the door shut. Hinata vanished inside the main building and Hanatarou turned back down the path with a goofy smile on his lips.

0-0-0

The principal's reaction to Hinata's late return was far from favourable. In fact, it was down right unpleasant. He lectured her on the importance of education and how she would end up scrubbing toilets if she didn't buckle down and get learning. He said she had no right to skip a day of school just because she was 'hysterical'. He eventually stopped screaming at her when he saw he'd made the poor girl cry. He sent her off to class with a gentle pat on the back and a warning.

It was around ten thirty and classes had already started. Hinata's first class was Kido and Theory and she wasn't surprised to find the class already chock-full of students and that they were half-way through the lesson. The sensei had Hinata sit next to a girl she didn't recognize and she read over her notes. According to the girl's book, Hinata was very far behind. She didn't particularly mind, though. Toshiro had taught her how to use kido and that made theory about pointless. She was confident she'd catch up in no time.

Her next class, combat, wasn't as easy. They'd advanced past what Toshiro had taught her, the basics, and Hinata was desperately behind. Osuka-sensei kept a close eye on her as she sparred with a girl twice her size and struggled to keep up with her rapid series of swings. By the time the fight was over, Hinata was covered in bruises and sticky with sweat. She wiped some perspiration off her forehead. She needed to train harder.

"Hyuuga-san," Osuka-sensei called as the class ended and everyone begun filing out. Hinata saw him standing by the bokutou closest with his hand raised, beckoning her over. Hinata walked over and fidgeted nervously under his gaze.

"H-hai, sensei?"

"It appears you've fallen behind." He dead-panned.

"U-um, I was-"

"Hospitalized, I know. I want you to spent your free periods studying and practising these." He handed her some sheets that listed sword and fighting techniques and she realized that several resembled the moves her sparring partner had used. "You're a natural with yours hands and good enough with a katana. It shouldn't take long for you to master these if you concentrate. But," He added and his voice was suddenly cold. "If I catch you slacking off, I'll have you here from dawn till dusk practising. Understood?"

"H-hai!"

"Good. Now go to your next class."

Hinata nodded before racing out the door and down the hall.

The following classes passed moderately quickly. Hinata was glad the sensei was ordering students to share notes with her and not leaving her to her own devices; she wouldn't have learnt a thing that way. She jotted down the notes about Zaraki Kenpachi and his incredible reiatsu and fighting styles while the teacher droned on about the Stealth Force (Onmitsukido) and its five branches and the Kido Corps (Kidoshu). Hinata kept her ears peeled for every drip of information and absorbed it like a sponge.

Like promised, during her free periods she studied and executed the swords moves with a bokutou, though she found them all complicated and difficult. She soared through the Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat) in a heart beat, though. Hakuda came as a second nature to Hinata, while zanjutsu (swordsmanship) was hard and frustrating.

Before she knew it the day was over and Hinata was wriggling into her futon, clad in sleeping gear. She snuggled up against the pillow with an exhausted sigh. Her muscles ached from over exertion and she had a punishing headache, but she was back. She was learning and thoroughly enjoying herself despite the fact hardly anyone talked to her besides the teachers. She still had Hanatarou and-

Hinata's grip on the blankets tightened. Toshiro. She hadn't spoken to him since she'd run from him and Hinamori and Hinata's mouth dropped a little as the image of him hugging the said vice-captain popped into her mind. She brutally pounded it away. Whether Hinamori was his girlfriend or not, Toshiro was still her friend and she'd have to face him sooner or later. He'd saved her in so many ways.

And with that thought in mind, Hinata let her mind go blank and she was carried away by sleep's current.

0-0-0

Toshiro felt dead, he was so tired.

He literally collapsed onto his bed and groaned when he realized Hyourinmaru was still on his back and was now digging into his flesh. He threw the troublesome sword across the room and numbly he felt Hyourinmaru roar angrily in his head.

"Sorry..." The exhausted boy muttered.

_**As you should be! Hmph!**_Hyourinmaru growled. _**...Master...**_

_Yeah?_

_**When will you face the Hyuuga girl again?**_

Toshiro coughed. He didn't want to think about that, so he concentrated on summoning the strength to sit up and pull his shoes off.

_**Master, you know as well as I do that you're not in love with Hinamori.**_

No response.

_**You'll have to face her eventually, like a man.**_

Toshiro pushed himself up and undid the shoe laces. We wriggled his toes as the sandal came free.

_**Master...**_

He threw the shoe away and then fell back onto his bed and pulled the covers right up over his ears as though he was trying to block out the sound of the outside world.

_**...You know you're in love with Hyuuga.**_

_I'm not, Hyourinmaru! _Toshiro snapped. _I just...I just worry about her, that's all._

_**You coward. Face your feelings. You'll tear yourself apart, not talking to her. She must have some sort of feelings for you, too, if she ran when she saw you hugging Hinamori! **_The icy dragon snarled.

Toshiro buried himself deeper into the sheets. _...What about Hinamori?_

_**That's your problem, not mine.**_

_Gee, thanks._

_**Don't mention it.**_

_Ugh. I hate you sometimes._

_**You took the words right out of my jaw.**_

_Tch...Oyosumi, Hyourinmaru._

_**Promise me you'll talk to her, **_he insisted.

Toshiro sighed. _Fine. I swear I'll talk to Hyuuga, eventually._

_**Alright. **_Satisfied, the dragon yawned and stretched his wings before folding them into his sides. _**Oyosuminasai, Master.**_

0-0-0

Three months.

Three long, punishing months drawled by. Hinata trained till her hands bled rivers and Toshiro lost himself in mountains of paperwork. Neither child made a huge effort to get in contact. Both feared the outcome of the to-be talk, for reasons neither quite understood.

But as Hinata trained harder and harder everyday, she soon excelled beyond her class mates and those of the Second Grade. Osuka-sensei was astonished by her progress, as were many of her teachers. And all of a sudden a messenger appeared at Hinata's bedroom door and delivered a letter; she'd been moved up two grades, into Grade Three.

Hinata couldn't believe it. She'd gone from Grade One to Grade Three in three months! Her sleepless nights and horrific training exercisers had paid off after all; she was closer to graduating, closer to getting out of the Academy. The thought filled her with hope and drove her forward.

It was almost the end of April now. The weather was getting warm. Hinata stopped a moment to bask in the sunlight streaming through the open window before sucking in a deep, shuddering breath and walking to her first class as a Third Grader.

She knocked softly on the door and instantly it was wrenched open by a furious looking male teacher with huge glasses and a gigantic gut. Hinata almost squealed out loud, his sudden appearance had startled her so much.

His beady black eyes flashed up and down her body and he frowned. "Are you Hyuuga Hinata, now?" He demanded.

"H-h-hai," Hinata stammered and she held out a note the principal had instructed her to give to all her new teachers. He quickly skimmed it and ushered her inside.

Immediately all eyes fell on her. Curious, hostile, board, jealous. So many different glares and stares; Hinata wasn't sure where to look. It was like Grade One all over again; she felt self-conscious and examined her feet and chose where she placed them carefully. The sensei told her to sit next to a boy up the back that Hinata couldn't see properly; Hinata hurried up the steps and was shocked by how _big _everyone looked. The men had thick necks and broad shoulders; the women curvy hips and potent breasts. Hinata suddenly felt more like a child then she ever had.

Hinata silently took her seat beside the boy and began to unload her books onto her desk while the teacher resumed his rant about the importance of gokon tekko (devices that forced shinigami souls of out their fake bodies). It took her a minute to notice the boy was staring at her.

Blushing, Hinata met his gaze with a forced smile. The boy sitting beside her had the wildest hair she'd ever seen; it stuck up in all different directions like some sort of prickle bush and the colour was a bizarre bright orange. His eyes were big and brown. And his grin spread across his round face, ear-to-ear. He looked very young.

"U-um...hi." Hinata mumbled and she risked a glance at the teacher. His back was to her and he was speaking to loudly to pick up some stray whispers.

"Hello!" The boy chirped. "I'm Watanabe Jun! Who're you?"

"H-Hyuuga H-Hinata."

"Nice to meetcha!"

"Oi, you two! Concentrate!" The teacher growled.

"Sorry!" Hinata gasped and she quickly turned her attention back to the board and flipped her book open. The teacher had drawn a diagram of gokon tablets on the board, 'Soul Candy' was its official name, and was explaining its effects-

"Ne, ne, ne, Hyu-chan," Jun hissed and Hinata twitched. Why was he talking to her? Didn't her age or eye colour freak him out? "You wanna sit with me at lunch?"

"U-um..."

"Oh, not _just _me! So-so-chan, Junichi, Ri-kun and Na-chan will be there! I'm sure they'll like you. They're all in Grade Three, too."

_Please stop talking to me, _Hinata begged but Jun heard nothing of her voiceless plea.

"So? So? So? Will you?" He prompted. Hinata sighed and gave in. If Jun didn't stop talking soon Hinata was going to spend the entire lesson trying to tune him out.

"O-okay." She promised and Jun punched the air.

"Watanabe! Stop annoying the new student and concentrate!"

"Hai~!"

Hinata giggled. Jun had his annoying faults, but he was funny. Jun heard her giggle and punched the air yet again, and earned himself an afternoon detention, to which he responded to with a gleeful "WOOT!". The class burst out laughing and the teacher simply sighed.

Hinata smiled. Grade Three didn't seem so bad.

0-0-0

"This way, Hyu-chan!" Jun announced and he snatched Hinata hand and dragged her forward. The cafeteria was rapidly filling with hungry students as Jun steered Hinata towards a ground of people sitting by a window. Their trays were already full but there was a spare one just sitting idly at the end of the table.

It was lunch and Hinata had held up her end of the one-sided agreement; she promised to go to lunch with Jun, and so she did. Usually she spent all lunch reading and eating very little so she was nervous about the 'talking' bit; she knew of nothing that was going on around the school, apart from the fact there were still guards at the gates and patrolling the grounds.

Jun pushed Hinata onto the seat and grinned. "Hey, guys! This is Hyu-chan!" Hinata blushed and dipped her head respectfully. "She's a genius!"

"Ah, so _you're _the girl everyone's talking about!" Hinata searched for the owner of the voice and found it in the form of a girl with the appearance of around sixteen, with short purple hair and big green eyes and a friendly smile lifting her cheeks. She was sitting on the table rather then on a chair and had ripped parts of the uniform's sleeves away. "Nice to meetcha. I'm Takahashi Sora."

"N-nice to meet you. I-I'm Hyuuga H-Hinata."

"I'm Watanabe Junichi." Said the boy standing next to Sora...and Hinata's just _dropped._ Junichi was a _giant. _He was like a living sky scraper! She'd never seen such a tall boy in her life. His hair was the same as Jun's, as were his eyes and round face. He was slim and lanky. He lacked the thick neck and bulging muscles most shinigami men had at his age. He looked a lot like Jun, height excluded (compared to his brother, Jun was a midget)

"Nice to meet you. A-are you Jun-kun's o-older brother?" She asked.

Junichi shook his head. "No. I'm his _younger _brother."

"...Seriously?"

"I know, I know. Actually, Jun's three years older then me."

Hinata had nothing to say to that.

"This is Tsubokura Ritsuka," Junichi continued and he pointed to a boy sitting at the very end of the table with his nose in a book. His hair was oily, short and black and a thick lock of it hid his right eye from view. His eye was emerald green and his skin was almost as pale as Hinata's. He was averaged size, a head or so taller then Jun and tiny beside Junichi, and appeared about 15 years old.

"And this is Hanabishi Natsuko." Junichi finished. Natsuko was standing beside the window and she was hugging herself. Her hair was short and curly and golden, shimmering in the sunlight. Her eyes were sky blue and there were freckles on her cheeks. She caught Hinata's gaze and blushed and looked away. Hinata blinked in confusion.

"Don't mind Natsuko-san," Junichi comforted her. "She's just shy. She likes you, really. She's this way with everyone."

As Junichi spoke, his _older _brother Jun slid into his seat and pulled the spare tray towards him and started wolfing down some rice. Sora squeaked, then roared in anger when Jun flicked some food onto her pants in his haste and she swiftly smacked him over the head. Ritsuka twitched and asked them to be quite, but neither child was listening. Jun sucked up some juice and spat it at Sora's feet. She squealed and bounced away. This time Ritsuka hit him over the head. Natsuko's blush darkened and she ducked down into a chair as Ritsuka and Jun started yelling at each other. Junichi sighed and walked calmly over to put a stop to the pointless squabble.

And Hinata chortled. She'd forgotten how funny friends can be- Hinata stopped short_. Friends? _What friends? These were the first students who had talked to her since her enlistment! She'd been quite nearly friendless for three months. Why had that suddenly changed? Because she was in a different year?

_**"Does it matter?" **_Ookami-san asked suddenly. _**"Enjoy yourself, Hime!"**_

_Hmm...why not? _

"Ne, Hinata-chan, you want something to eat?" Sora asked and she held out some sushi rolls for Hinata to consume. Hinata considered protesting but decided against it; she was starving and all the tasty food had been taken. She said thank you as she took the sushi and she began nibbling on the edge. Sora laughed.

"You look like a mouse!" She giggled.

Hinata blushed but kept eating. Her stomach gave a mighty growl and she quickly stuffed the whole thing inside her gob and swallowed it. Her belly approved.

_Yeah..._She thought. _Why not?_

_

* * *

_

**!I own neither Bleach nor Naruto!**

**WOOT! Chapter ten! Jun's here! I love Jun. He's a spaz, like seriously. And I have no idea if Ritsuka is an actually name; I liked the sound of it so I used it. **

**Hinata and Toshiro WILL meet again eventually. Also...I'd like to apologize if Hinata, Toshiro or Hanatarou seem out of character. I've forgotten how Hanatarou acts, he hasn't been around for a while. I watched some shorts after I wrote this (-_-) and hopefully he'll be more like himself next chapter.**

**In chap eleven...something important will happen! And, no, I _haven't _forgotten that Aizen asked Gin to do something! I purposely stopped talking about it because what he was asked to do was like what Aizen got Ulquiorra to do: told him the order, then made him execute it twenty chaps later X3 Ulquiorra will turn up soon, too.**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

"Eeehhh?"

"I know, right!" Jun squealed. "It's awesome!"

Hinata wouldn't call going to the Real World 'awesome'. More like 'terrifying'. While Sora, Junichi and Jun looked ready to hop through the portal that second (Ritsuka didn't care and Natsuko wasn't in the Advanced Class), Hinata was glued to her seat and trembling in her boots. Less then two weeks ago, she'd been an impressive First Year who soared past the other first and second year students; now she was a newly made Third Year and was no where near ready for the Real World.

Hinata had fought two hollows. Well, she'd only _fought _one, but she'd darn well faced two. That was more then the entire Third Year had put together. She knew how horrible, how menacing, how plain _scary _the malevolent spirits could be; and where there was human souls, there were hollows. And though Hinata knew it was shameful, the idea of facing yet another one of those beasts made her want to cry.

"When do we go, Jun?" Sora demanded and her face was glowing like a Christmas Tree. Her eagerness to go was obvious.

"I think it's tomorrow!" The midget replied. "First thing in the morning, after breakfast. All the Advanced Classes are going. It's gonna be _awesome!_" He repeated and he sounded over the moon with joy. In fact, he jumped out of his seat and did a little dance right there, in the middle of the cafeteria, and completely ignored the freaked out stares directed at him.

"Oh, I can't wait!" Sora chirped.

Ritsuka rolled his eyes. "Be quiet and eat, for pete's sake. What good will you be if you collapse due to null nutrition?"

"Okay, okay, Mr. Grumble Bum." Sora giggled and Ritsuka went back to reading his book. He'd barely touched his food; plain rice and dull-looking sushi rolls. Hinata, on the other hand, had some colourful mentaiko egg rolls and some fish. It looked very appetizing; Ritsuka's meal was about as appetizing as dirt.

"Ne, Hinata-san, are you looking forward to it?" Junichi asked and Hinata jumped in fright. She couldn't say she'd rather move countries. It was too embarrassing. So Hinata started shoving food inside her mouth and pretended not to have heard the sky-scraper sized student.

Eventually the bell rang to signal the end of another lunch and Hinata was guilty to find she was relived. She loved her new friends, she really did. They were her world, now, and though she wasn't studying as much as she used to, she was still at the top of her classes and keeping ahead of schedule. But...she just didn't share their, ah, 'zest' for life. They were all fast paced, even the insanely timid Natsuko, while Hinata liked to take things slow and think situations through.

As Hinata waved goodbye to Junichi, Jun and Sora, who all shared combat class together, her mind wandered to the things she hadn't stayed a head of. Like Hitsugaya Toshiro.

Hinata didn't know why, but whenever she thought about talking to the silver haired prodigy her stomach twisted in fear and her throat went tight. She wanted to see him, but didn't want to see him. That annoying image him of Hinamori hugging him, her arms wrapped loving around his neck...it drove her insane with jealousy. And Hinata didn't have a damn clue as to why.

With a sigh she stumbled into her kido class. She fell into her seat beside Ritsuka and only partly listened to the teacher rant about kido. She was such a coward. Even with her home work and immense training exercises, Hinata still had plenty of free time because she finished all the theory work in the blink of an eye. Numerous chances for her to contact the captain had flown past her.

Her face grew dark. Maybe he'd been waiting for her to write or something. He was a captain, after all, and already had enough on his plate without putting time aside to contact an academy student. Though Hinata imagined he was stressing over it as much as she was. Their relationship had been so close...they'd even kissed-

_By accident! _She reminded herself sternly. Toshiro had tripped on a root and their lips pressed together. Nothing was done on purpose. And yet her cheeks grew pink and her heart fluttered when she remembered how soft his lips had been. Surprisingly soft, for someone with the ability to act so cold-

_Ahh! I need to do something! I can't go on ignoring him. I'm no coward!_

_**About time, **_Ookami-san remarked dryly.

0-0-0

**_YOU. ARE. A . COWARD!_**

_No, I'm not. _Toshiro pushed his finished papers into a pile. Even after three months, the amount of paper work he needed to finish hadn't lessened at all. _I promised to talk to Hyuuga 'eventually'. Not right this second._

_**It's been THREE MONTHS! **_His zunpaku-to roared. _**Three flipping months! You are a coward! Not so cowardly as to not admit your feelings to yourself, but cowardly enough to not tell the woman you're dating you don't love her, and avoid talking to the woman you love at all costs!**_

Toshiro twitched. Alright, he was acting cowardly. True, he still hadn't brought himself to break up with Hinamori, and yes, he had been putting off writing and/or visiting Hinata, the woman he loved. He'd admitted that to himself during the three months they'd stopped talking. He loved every inch of her and longed to see her, painfully so; but he was scared. Hinata had seen Hinamori hugging him...and she'd ran. Really _ran. _Disappeared around the corner and fallen into the arms of the seventh seat.

_**Master, I swear, if you don't grow a set and talk to the damned girl, I'm gonna make your life a living hell!**_

_You already are!_

_**Oh, no, I'm not. You don't know the half of what I can do, buddy.**_

"Taichou? Is something wrong?" Toshiro looked up and saw his vice-captain watching him with a concerned gaze. Then he realized he was digging his pen into his desk and immediately eased the pressure.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Matsumoto. Just having a conversation with Hyourinmaru."

She grinned. "Oh? Is the bad old dragon messing with your head again, taichou?"

"Go do some work, Matsumoto."

She just laughed and walked out and slapped the door shut behind her, making it very clear all the work she intended to do was deplete the local bar's stock of sake. Toshiro sighed and leaned back in his chair. Hyourinmaru was right. Three months was more then enough; in fact, it was down right silly. He and her both were being idiots. They _needed _to resolve this problem; why she ran, who Hinamori was. And Toshiro had to break up with Hinamori. Soon. It didn't matter that she was still on pills and a little shaky on her feet. She'd need to deal with that herself.

_I'll talk to her either tonight or tomorrow morning. _Toshiro told both his zunpaku-to and himself firmly. _Definitely._

Hyourinmaru smiled. _**Good master.**_

0-0-0

_Where am I?_

Hinata could barely see the hand she held up to her face, the snow in the air was so thick. When they smashed into her it was like getting shot over and over again, only each bullet was freezing cold and left a painful red mark on her body. The winds tossed her around like a rag told and wiped at her exposed skin, making her wince. She was knee-deep in snow but the depth was steadily rising. And no matter where she looked, Hinata saw white; miles and miles of violent and chaotic white, churning like river rapids. She had never seen such a ferocious blizzard.

_Where am I? _"Ookami-san!" Hinata yelled. Her voice was lost amongst the eerie howls of the wind.

And suddenly something appeared. A gigantic wolf-demon broke through the blizzard and barred its huge white fangs. It's fur was silver through and through, and rippled like water. Zig zag tattoos burned blue on its sides. It's five tails whipped through the air, battering away snow and ice alike. It's eyes were safire and shone with determination.

Hinata gasped in terror. That wasn't a monster; no, it was none other than Ookami-san, despite the differences in size and appearance. Take away the five tails and shrink it, it was obviously the kind, motherly she-wolf that had guided Hinata up to this point. And the fact that she looked like that terrified the teenager.

"O-Ookami-san! Wh-what are you-" Hinata began but was cut off when Ookami-san abruptly threw her head back and roared. Hinata screeched in fear as the air's strength suddenly doubled and she was thrown back a few paces and collapsed onto her knees. She gripped the icy ground and squinted, trying to get a clear picture of the beast that was Ookami-san. Ice shards cut through her clothing, through her skin. Blood seeped from the wounds.

"_**ARE YOU WILLING TO BE MY MASTER?**_" Came a scream that carried across the landscape like wind itself. It was a deafening sound and Hinata's hands automatically shielded her ears. "_**HERE MY NAME! I AM...**_"

"I can't hear you!" Hinata shrieked. Torrents of snow were hurtling past her. She could feel herself being pushed back, inch by inch. She was overcome by fear and screamed.

"_**MY NAME IS-**_"

0-0-0

"Hyuuuuuu-chaaaaan~!"

Hinata's eyes popped open and Jun's face filled her vision. She squeaked in surprise and Jun pulled back laughing and as Hinata stood up, she saw her door was wide open and that Jun had laid her school uniform over her legs like a blanket. She opened her mouth to question him but abruptly fell silent when she saw he was dancing.

"Come, Hyu-chan! We're gonna be late!" He urged before spinning in a circle with his arms out like the blades of a helicopter.

"L-late for wh-what?" Hinata rasped. She was still shaken by the dream.

He froze mid-spin and his mouth fell open like a jaw bridge. "For what-! For the trip, Hyu-chan! To the Real World! _Remember! _Come on, come on, you've gotta get _up!_" He snatched Hinata hands and roughly pulled her out of bed and bushed her towards the uniform. He skipped merrily out the door and slammed it shut behind him but Hinata knew he hadn't gone, for she could hear him humming beyond the wood.

With a shaky sigh, Hinata quickly wriggled out of her sleeping kimono and slipped into her school uniform. She hopped over to the door, still tying up one of her shoes, and tapped on it to say she was done. Instantly the door flew open and she was being dragged down the hallway and into the cafeteria, where they quickly ordered breakfast and joined the others.

"Got your cards?" Sora asked and everyone nodded. Hinata pulled out the card her teacher had given her about two days ago; it was the picture of a chibi cat with big eyes and a cute smile and blush. Hinata had had no idea what it was for but the rest of the class had been thrilled upon receiving them. She now knew why.

"Hey!" Sora exclaimed and she ducked down beside Hinata, grinning ecstatically. "We're in the same group, Hinata-chan!"

"Huh?" Hinata examined Sora's card and promptly a smile of her own swept across her face. Sora was telling no lie. The cat on her card was identical to the one on Hinata's; they were in the same group. Hinata was relieved. At least this way she'd have someone familiar to train with instead of a complete stranger.

They wolfed down breakfast and then ran to the hall, where already more then half of the Third Grade Advanced Class members were already crowding. On the stage a gate to the Real World had already been set up and Hinata thought it resembled a traditional Japanese sliding door. In front of it, three Sixth Grade students stood with swords hanging from their belts and hell butterflies fluttering around their heads. And flanking them were shinigami escorts and Hinata's mouth ran dry. The only reason they would be there was to protect them from _hollows._

Several spare senior students wandered around the Thirds handing out asauchi, nameless katana in which their zunpaku-to spirits would reside. When one reached Hinata he frowned and rummaged through the bundle of swords till he found what was no doubt the shortest one there and handed it too her. Then he spotted Jun and switched it for another.

Hell Butterflies were sent to each student. Hinata's circled her head and landed on her finger when she held it out. She took a moment to admire it's elegant black and purple wings before looking to Sora.

"D-do you know w-who our team mate is?" She asked.

"Nope." Sora replied and she held up her card. "Does anyone have a cat picture? A cat!"

"I do!" A scrawny looking boy with big blue eyes and curly black hair ran over. He was a head or so taller then Hinata but shorter then Sora and he looked just as excited about the trip as everyone else. Hinata excluded. He lifted up his card to show he was telling the truth. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kamizuki Shouta."

"Takahashi Sora," Sora beamed back. "That's Hyuuga Hinata. Be nice to her."

Shouta laughed. "Will do!"

"Alright, has everyone got a hell butterfly?" The middle student standing in front of the gate asked and everyone gave confirmation. "Good. Everyone got a asauchi?" Again, a murmur of confirmation. "Good. Let's go, then."

An ecstatic buzz zapped through the crowd as they moved towards the door. At first glance, Hinata hadn't believed it to be anything special. It actually looked kind of lame. But the moment the doors opened bright white light washed out and Hinata couldn't help but stare in awe, marvelling in its beauty.

Then she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She twisted to the side...and gasped.

There, standing across the room, was Toshiro and he was gripping the side of the door, panting. He caught her gaze and smiled. Hinata smiled back and it wasn't forced at all. She'd been afraid of seeing him, of possible fighting with him over that vice-captain girl, but all that vanished the moment her eyes found his figure; bubbling happiness overtook the painful anxiety.

_Good luck, _he mouthed.

_Thanks, _Hinata mouthed back and she waved. Toshiro waved back, much to her surprise, and then he straightened and crossed his hands over his chest. He hilted his head to the side, urging her onwards. And Hinata was suddenly full of strength. Grinning, she ran past Sora, who flinched in surprise, and leapt into the heavenly light of the Senkaimon.

0-0-0

Toshiro watched Hinata disappear into the light with a smile. He'd come in the hopes of chatting with her but hadn't realized the Third Years were travelling to the Real World that day. It was kind of funny, that they happened to be leaving first thing in the morning on the very day he'd summoned up the courage to face her. Hyourinmaru, however, wasn't amused.

_**Urg. What horrid timing, **_the disappointed spirit huffed.

_What're you so upset about? She'll come back. And when she does, I'll talk to her. _

_**I know. But still!**_

"Hitsugaya-taichou? Is there something you need?" A shinigami body guard had noticed the young captain by the door and had come to check on him. Toshiro was about to wave him away but paused mid-motion.

"...Protect those students, no matter what." And that was exactly what he needed.

The shinigami bowed deeply. "Of course, sir."

0-0-0

White. An endless stretch of white.

Hinata's footsteps echoed eerily in the empty whiteness of the Senkaimon and the fact she was one of the first in only made them eerier. She stared off into the distance but could see no way out of the landscape. She swallowed hard and decided to trust her hell butterfly, which was hovering patiently beside her ear. She took a few tentative steps forward and suddenly the small creature took off.

As more and more students began to file in Hinata was already deep into the whiteness and was catching up with one of the quicker sempai **(older class mates)** and the shinigami accompanying him. Hinata blinked and then gaped. A door had appeared no less then three metres away and it opened silently as the two men neared it; they strolled inside and disappeared into the whiteness.

Hinata followed suit.

Hinata had never been to the Real _real _World before but she was positive it would look nothing like the ninja nations she'd grown up in. She expected something akin to Rukongai, perhaps with taller buildings or larger cities, but what met her when she finally surfaced from the light was something entirely different.

What she saw was complete and utter destruction. Buildings lay in ruins; fires burned in the distance; columns of smoke rose eerily from the ground; people of all shapes and sizes were running amuck, either running from the devastation or running towards it to dig something up. Hinata saw a little girl, no older then six, crying rivers and beside her lay the body of a woman, her back bathed in blood. A sob caught in Hinata's thought. How terrible!"

Once everyone was through, the 'ring leader' sempai, a tall guy with stringy red hair and narrow green eyes, addressed the group to explain the situation.

"Listen up! We've chosen a spot that was recently hit by an earth quake so there should be plenty of souls around for you to Konsou. Spread out, but don't wonder off! Stay within hearing range of the shinigami."

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" Sora appeared by Hinata's side with her hands on her hips and Shouta in tow. "Why'd you run off? Wait-oh, gosh, were you looking at Hitsugaya-taichou-"

"Um, can we start please?" Shouta inquired and Sora shot him a sour look but didn't argue. The trio set off to find some souls and quickly found a middle aged man standing beside some rubble. As they drew closer, Hinata recognized it as a hand attached to a brief case.

"Hello!" Sora chirped happily and the man flinched.

"H-hello." He whispered. His were wide with fear and his meaty hands shook. Hinata's eyes filled with pity. The poor man. He must've been so confused.

"We're here to-er..." Sora trailed off. "What're we supposed to say again?"

"We're here to send you to heaven, so stand still." Shouta instructed and he marched forward, unsheathing his asauchi as he went. The konpaku took one look at the razor sharp blade and ran for the hills.

"Ah-matte **(wait!) **!" Hinata called but the man refused to stop. He raced around the corner and disappeared down the street.

"Hey! Get back here!" Shouta voice was thick with fury as he charged after the poor dead man. Sora yelled "Shouta!" and dashed after him, leaving Hinata by the fallen sky scraper. She hesitated before following; if they followed the spirit, they'd be out of sight-range from the shinigami and would have willing broken the rules their sempai had laid down for them. But what could she have done? Wait there until they were finished? As if.

When Hinata caught up she was slightly winded from the long run, hindered by her short legs. Sora and Shouta had already cornered the frightened man and were trying to convince him that everything was going to be alright, though Shouta spoke only in threatening tones that only scared the man even more.

In the end, Sora just grabbed him by the cuff and forced him to stand till so Shouta could konsou him. The spirit disappeared in a flash of sparkly blue light.

"There, done." Shouta said and he sounded satisfied.

But then Sora cracked him over the head. "You BAKA! **(idiot)**" She seethed. "Don't just run away like that, or I'll skin you alive!"

"Sorry, sorry-"

And suddenly the air grew dense enough to cut with a knife. All three of them froze like statures and their eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Hinata's hand unconsciously snaked to the hilt of her asauchi as the sickening reiatsu tugged her shoulders down. It was the reiatsu of a hollow and Hinata knew very well that if they didn't get back to the shinigami that second, there was a good chance they would all be eaten.

Suddenly Sora screamed. The hollow sauntered into the view, the very embodiment of horror and fear, a gigantic lizard-creature with a back of amour plating and a tongue longer then all three students put together. It's beady red eyes rolled around in its head, rolling, rolling, rolling; stop. It's hungry gaze squared in on the tasty looking children and in a snap it was crawling towards them at a horrifying pace.

Hinata acted first. The other two were froze in place. She lifted her palm and calmly recited the Shakkoho charm under her breath. "Hakudo san juu ichi: Shakkoho!"

A ball of fiery red light exploded from her palm and bowled into the hollow's shoulder. The creature let out an unearthly scream and staggered across, striking things with its tail and lashing out with its hooked paws. Shouta and Sora were snapped back into reality by the racket the monster caused and instantly they turned on heel and bolted, with Hinata close behind them. But the monster recovered and a second later it was right on their tail in hot pursuit.

"We won't get back in time!" Sora cried. And she was right. They had wandered too far away; it would take them at least ten minutes to get back to where the shinigami could hear their cries for help but even that was too long; the beast was gaining ground quickly. Hinata tried to piece together a plan; perhaps if they suddenly swerved, the hollow would stumble and that would buy them some time-

"There's no point in running! Let's fight!" And Shouta spun round and sprinted straight towards the hollow.

"Shouta-kun! NO!" Hinata yowled and she ran after him, despite her better judgement. Shouta would surely die if he faced the demon alone! And she wasn't going to let him die through sheer arrogance alone!

The hollow skidded to a halt and lashed out with its claws but Shouta jumped back, missed by a hair's length. He darted to the side and drove his asauchi into its leg; it wailed in pain and tossed its head around and stomped its feet. Shouta tried to dislodge his sword from the skin but it was too leathery and the blade refused to budge. The hollow swiped Shouta away and he hit a near by wall with a deafening _thud. _It shattered on impact and his body tumbled to the ground, where it lay motionless.

"Shouta-kun!"

The hollow dived down and attacked. Hinata ducked to dodge its tail then jumped high into the air as its claws aimed to sever her in two. It let out a roar of outrage and lunged forward with its teeth barred. Hinata pulled out her asauchi and in one swift motion brought it down on the creature's nose; blood spurted from the wound and Hinata's sword passed through cleanly. She hit the ground lightly as it hollered in agony.

Sora touched a hand to Shouta's neck and let the breath she'd been holding go. Shouta was still alive. With trembling hands she cradled Shouta in her arms and started towards the Senkaimon and silently prayed Hinata was following her.

And Hinata was. She ran as fast as her short legs could carry her and left the hollow to roll around in the dirt, clutching its bleeding nose, and followed her team mates around the bend. She could feel the shinigami's presence; it was faint and far, but there. They were getting closer-

"AHHH!" The ground beneath her suddenly lurched and Hinata was flung into the air by the tremendous force. She slammed against the ground and the wind was knocked out of her. As she lay there gasping for air a second, cat-like hollow crawled out of the dirt and shook itself free of stones and rubble. Its eyes gleamed with hatred as it slithered towards the winded girl and raised its jagged claws.

In one, grim motion, the hollow brought it down on Hinata's head-

"NOOOOO!"

And blood splattered against the concrete.

* * *

**!I own neither Bleach nor Naruto!**

**Cliff hangers suck, huh? I hate them, but I love writing them :P Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I like writing with Hyourinmaru; he's funny.**

**The Hollow (hollow_s_ now) VS Hina-Sora-Shouta will continue next chapter. And Hanatarou should make his newest appearance! So will Toshiro! ^^ And so will Ichigo and Rukia and Renji (yay!) X3**

**Also, I've decided I'm gonna write two chapters before updating, so instead of one...two...three it'll go one-two...three-four...five-six...Like that ^^**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

_Drip drip drip_

Slowly, steadily, blood seemed from the wound and collected on the dusty ground. Forming a sickening puddle of hot, red liquid. Hinata's lips quivered. Surprisingly, her eyes didn't grow wide as she expected them to. She didn't burst out crying or scream either. Rather she just froze, with the exception of her lips. Time appeared to stop as Hinata watched the blood pool out in front of her feet...and as Sora struggled to stand up right.

Sora had jumped in the way, and a claw was dug deep into her shoulder. The sharp edge of her asauchi was pressed against the hollow's arm, but it did little good. Pain was etched into Sora's features. Pain and terror. Pure and unmistakeable terror.

"S...Sora...-san..." Hinata's voice was faint. Oh so faint. Shock had numbed her senses, speech included.

The cat-hollow hissed in frustration. Why was this kit getting in the way? Did it not understand that she was hungry? That if she didn't eat now, her stomach would collapse on itself from hunger? With a howl of fury she flung Sora aside; she flipped in the air and smacked against the earth and rolled for several paces before finally coming to a complete stop. Her asauchi spun through the air and embedded itself a few metres away from Sora.

"Sora-san!" Hinata shrieked and alarm twisted in her belly.

The cat-hollow observed Sora's unmoving form for a few more seconds before letting out a purr of satisfaction. Now _that _was over, she could finally eat something. She turned back to Hinata and with a sinister smirk padded forward-

_Smack!_

The she-cat hollow twitched her ear and watched in obvious contempt as the rock clattered to the ground. Her red eyes flashed as Sora scrambled to her legs; they wobbled violently under her weight. Blood gushed from her wound. Her hair was caked with it; her sleeve was dyed red. Hinata drew a sharp breath.

"Sora-san! Please stop!" She begged. "You're going to kill yourself!" If she kept moving with such a deep gouge in her shoulder, she'd bleed out and die from blood loss. But Sora didn't heed Hinata's warning. She took a shaky step forward. And then another. She lifted her moderately uninjured arm and threw another stone; it bounced off the hollow's mask without leaving a mark of any kind.

The she-hollow hissed and turned away from it's prey slowly and Hinata leapt to her feet. The hollow spun back and let out a ferocious snarl, lashing out with glinting claws before Hinata had time to react; three deep gashes appeared in Hinata's leg and she fell with a scream as agony coursed through her.

The hollow started towards Sora. She stood her ground bravely, foolishly. Hinata clutched her leg but barely noticed the blood spurting between her fingers or the pain that brought tears to her eyes; all her thoughts for focused on Sora. She wanted to yell for her to run, to get away, but Hinata was smarter then that; she could see very well that Sora had no intention of running. No intention of leaving her comrades behind.

The hollow towered ominously over the human-sized spirit. Sora picked up another stone and threw it with every ounce of strength that she possessed and cussed when it simply rebounded off the she-hollow's leathery under belly. The hollow barred its yellowing fangs and brought then down in a heart beat; the ground exploded on impact. Dust swallowed the scene.

Hinata groped for asauchi. Where did it go? And then she saw it and her face fell. It was trapped under what looked like the side of a fallen support beam. She crawled over, wincing with every step, and reached out for the exposed guard. She grabbed it and tugged; it didn't move. She gave another strong pull and managed to get it move half an inch. But still it remained stubbornly trapped beneath the rubble.

Suddenly Hinata heard a scream and her head whipped round just in time to see Sora emerge from the cloud of dust, only now she was limping. Blood seeped through her uniform just above the left knee; she stumbled and only just caught herself on the side of a collapsed sky-scraper. Sweat glistened on her brow and her entire frame trembled. Her face was deathly pale.

And then the hollow appeared and charged towards Sora with a victorious shriek. Sora jumped into the air and the famished feline's fangs sunk into the hard wall; it wrenched them out with a howl of disgust. Sora's feet hit the ground with a thud and she took a few weary steps back before falling against a wall, panting hard.

Hinata cursed. She turned back to her asauchi and gripped it with two, doll-like hands and took a deep breath.

Then she summoned up all her physical power and gave a mighty heave; her reiatsu flushed into the sword and the stone trapping it shattered like broken glass and the katana came free. The force knocked Hinata onto her back but she was immediately climbing to her feet. Her leg throbbed with pain and she gritted her teeth together and touched a hand to it gently. She poured her reiatsu inside and the wound shrunk in size, but didn't disappear all together. The bleeding stopped, though. And Hinata sprinted forward.

She fired another Shakkoho once within range and hit the beast squarely on the shoulder, pushing onto its side. It squirmed onto its paws just as Hinata reached Sora and rocketed forward. Together they dived down into the dirt, out of reach of its fangs, and Hinata thrust her blade upwards, up into it throat.

"RAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

The she-hollow threw her back and screamed, screamed, screamed, blood spraying across the ground like rain. Hinata took Sora's hand and hulled her too her feet, urged her to run. Sora did so without a word and just stared forward, eyes wide with pain and fear. Hinata was very aware that she no longer had a weapon; her asauchi was firmly lodged in the she-hollow's throat and was, at the moment, twenty feet in the air.

Then Hinata spotted Sora's asauchi and hope bubbled in her chest. They were running towards it; it was directly in the path they were taking back to the shinigami. If she could tug it out of the gravel she'd have a weapon, a weapon that did nothing unless she was right next to the hollow, perhaps, but a weapon all the same-

Suddenly Sora stopped and swerved to the side.

"We need to get Shouta! He's unconscious!" She explained over her shoulder in a high and frantic voice. Hinata looked past her and saw the indeed unconscious body of Kamizuki Shouta pressed up against the wall with his head lolling to one side and his eyes slightly open, though they were dull and dark. With a terrified glance at the cat-hollow, Hinata changed direction and followed and silently prayed that the beast didn't see them take the detour.

Sora took Shouta in her arms like a mother did her son and held him tight. He was the picture of bliss; calm, peaceful, unafraid. And unaware of the danger his body faced. Shouta was off in dream land now, with no idea he could end up staying there permanently if things went wrong.

"Let's go!" Hinata pleaded and Sora nodded wordlessly. Then she noticed Shouta's asauchi lying by where is body had been and picked it up, slipping it into her scabbard. Then they were running again, scrambling up the slop, and when Hinata looked back for the cat-demon, she saw the hollow was in battle with someone else.

Her eyes widened as she recognized the fighter as a shinigami with bright orange hair and a black-and-white sword almost as long as himself. Kurosaki Ichigo! The cat fled off into the sky and the teenage samurai sped off in hot pursuit; he didn't even see Hinata and Sora and Shouta, battered and bruised and bloody, running amongst the ruins of the broken city.

They slowed down. The threat was gone. They were safe. Hinata leant against a wall and sucked in some shuddering breaths and realized she was trembling. She held her hands together in an attempt to calm herself. Sora let Shouta down beside a support beam and crumbled to her knees and suddenly began to sob. Her breaths were short and shaky. And her tears were many; they cascaded down her face like water falls and she did nothing to ease their flow. Hinata would've gone to comfort her, had she the energy. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more then to curl up in a ball and sleep.

Then Sora seemed to realize how foolish was was being. She sucked in her tears and slowly healed her shoulder. She was woozy from blood loss but managed to focus on the wound enough for it to stop bleeding and shrink the tiniest bit. Then she did the same to her leg and let out a sigh of relief when it vanished all together; the wound had been shallower and smaller then the others.

And then she stood and walked over to Hinata, leaving Shouta's body where it was, and placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder.

"Thank you." She said softly. "You saved me and Shouta, back there."

She was referring to when they'd frozen and Hinata had attacked the lizard-hollow. They'd come too and bolted. Hinata said nothing, instead stared at her feet. Sora squeezed her shoulder tighter.

"I mean it, Hinata-cha-I mean, Hinata-san." Hinata blinked. Did that mean Sora respected her more? "If you hadn't attacked, me and Shouta would've been eaten before we could realize the danger we were in. You saved us."

"...I...a-all I d-did was shot it..." Hinata protested meekly and her cheeks began to grow hot from praise. She found it strange she could blush at all, given the circumstances.

"Yeah, but you still saved us. And took the lead," She added with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "You got as moving again. Well, me. Shouta was a baka and got himself knocked out." They shared a brief, but dry giggle. Somehow it wasn't as funny as it should've been.

Then Hinata realized something. Shouta had been knocked out by the lizard-hollow. They'd run off and been confronted by the cat-hollow, who was now being chased across the sky. Probably already dead. But the lizard-hollow was still alive, wasn't it? It hadn't attacked because the cat-hollow was bigger then it, stronger looking with its larger frame and thick, rough fangs. It had stayed hidden in the side lines, watching wide-eyed, as the students waged battle against it. But now the cat-hollow was gone...

...What reason did it have to hide any longer?

"Run." Hinata commanded and Sora frowned in confusion. Her face paled with alarm as Hinata ducked away from her hand and darted over to Shouta. She shook him but he stayed lost in his deep sleep.

"Hinata-san?" Sora asked and her voice was tight. "What's wrong?"

"Th-the lizard-hollow," Hinata stuttered as she hopped to her feet and grabbed Sora's hand and dragged her over. "I-it wasn't _k-killed. _It just d-didn't c-come back to f-fight. It might still be-"

And before Hinata could finish the sentence, the very beast she'd been discussing soared into the air and came crashed down just behind Shouta's limp form. Dust coated its limps as the hollow threw its skull-covered face back and howled. It's disgusting reiatsu choked the air and for neither Sora or Hinata could breath for a few horrifying seconds. Sora had a small coughing fit while Hinata just gasped in air.

The hollow raised its paw high into the air and brought it down in a blindingly fast motion; the ground lurched beneath their feet and with a deafening _crack _the students were thrown in three separate directions. Shouta rolled under a bright red car and groaned, coming too and rubbing a bump on his head. Sora slapped against the ground and rolled for a bit before stopping and scrambling to her feet.

Hinata, however, wasn't as fortunate. She smashed right into a window and the power behind the blow caused it to shatter; glass shards buried themselves in Hinata flesh and she fell. When she hit the ground the wind was knocked out of her once again and she couldn't move an inch. The hollow realized the weakness and surged forward.

"HINATA-SAN!" Sora screamed and she tried to get up but tripped over her own toes. She fell head first into the dust, into the rocks, and for a moment her head spun. Tears sparkled in her eyes. "H-Hinata-san!"

"Hyuuga-kun!" Shouta yelled and he crawled out from beneath the crushed vehicle and raced forward as fast as his short legs could carry him-

The hollow opened its jaws wide and inhaled the scent of Hinata's freshly spilled blood before snapping its head down and diving forwards; as it did so spikes sprouted from its chest. Hinata screwed her eyes shut.

"Toshiro-kun!" She whispered and she waited for the blow to come-

"HYUUGA-KUN!"

_Crunch!_

Something wet and sticky splattered against Hinata's face. It was hot and ran down her face like streams. Her stomach did a flip. She _knew _what that was...

And Hinata peered up through her eye lashes and almost cried out then and there.

Shouta had somehow gotten his hands on Sora's discarded asauchi; and was ploughed into the lizard-hollow's throat, just below the mask. Blood bubbled in the gap between flesh and metal. And the spikes in the hollow's chest had cut through Shouta like a knife through butter, crushing his lungs and ripping apart his vital organs. Several had drilled all the way through and showed through the torn skin of his back.

The pain kicked in and the lizard propelled backwards with a blood-chilling screech. _Shunk. _The blades were ripped out of Shouta's body and he collapsed in a bloody heap of mangled flesh. Hinata wriggled to her knees, to her feet; a few glass shard came free and clapped against the ground. She staggered over to Shouta and gagged at the amount of blood gushing from his torso, his mid-drift, his back. There was so much _blood. _It was slick and shiny and pooled around his twitching form; the blood lapped against Hinata's knees and painted her fingers. She knelt beside him and held his head in her hands; his eyes were friendly and unafraid, despite his current condition.

"Sh-Sh-Shouta-k-k-kun!" She sobbed. Tears swept down her face. He barely knew her and yet he'd given his life to save her.

Shouta smiled. It was faint and pained and strained, but it was still a smile. "Ah damn...I d-died...o-oh w-well..." And then his eyes lost their brilliant gleam and turned dark as the night sky.

_No..._

"S-Shouta-kun..." Hinata breathed.

_No, no..._

"Sh-Shouta-kun...!"

_No, no, no!_

"Shouta-kun!"

And something inside Hinata snapped.

Power.

Raw and cold and merciless; it flooded Hinata's body and suddenly a pale purple glow illuminated her body. The ground around her and her dead team mate froze over and she gently laid down his head. Closed his eyes. The hollow stopped moving and stared as Hinata stood, Shouta's asauchi clasped firmly in her hands; over head the sky growled menacingly and dark black thunder clouds rolled over. The wind started to get faster and turned frosty, nipping at her arms and legs. The tears on her face dried up and vanished; her leg and back wounds suddenly stopped throbbing.

And she wore an expression like none she had ever worn before; it was hard and cold and battle-ready, and an unnatural lust for revenge burned in the depths of her lavender eyes.

_**Call my name! **_The five-tailed beast that was Ookami-san hollered in her mind. _**My name is-**_

Hinata raised her arm and her lips parted. All of a sudden she could hear Ookami-san's name as clear as day. She narrowed her eyes until she could see nothing else but the murderous hollow standing a few feet away.

"Freeze the world over...Fuyu no Tsuki!"

And the asauchi changed form in a incredible flash of white light. It became a nodachi, long as Hinata herself, with a pure white hilt and guard and magnificently silver blade. Snow and ice swirled around the blade. Waiting patiently for its chance to strike.

Hinata kicked off the ground and sailed high, high into the air and raised Fuyu no Tsuki over her head. She let out a cry as she brought the blade down and a torrent of snow and ice hurtled over her head and it devoured the hollow like a ravenous, icy-beast, swallowing it whole. Ice crept across the ground and it sparkled like a thousand diamonds. The moment Hinata's feet touched the ground the ice encasing the hollow shattered and it materialized into nothingness.

And with that, the seemingly impossible foe was destroyed.

Sora caught her breath. Everything around her seemed to glow in brilliance and in beauty; everything suddenly seemed so vibrant, frozen in Hinata's reiatsu. A fragment of ice hit her hand and it twitched, but she didn't even notice. Her eyes looked about ready to pop out of her head.

"Wow...amazing..."

And suddenly she heard the sound of running and a moment later several shinigami slowed to a stop at her side. Sora didn't even glance at them. Her eyes were focused on Hinata and the winter wonder land she'd created with her reiatsu alone.

Hinata didn't move. She was utterly still, utterly motionless. She was still glowing every so slightly...then suddenly the glow faded and Hinata started to collapse. A shinigami darted past Sora and caught Hinata before she hit the ground, holding her against his chest.

Hinata's sight was fading. Toshiro's pale face was a blurred image. But Hinata smiled all the same.

"T-Toshiro-kun..." She whispered hoarsely. "D-did you s-see? I-I got my Sh-Shikai..."

"I know." Toshiro confirmed. "I saw. You were amazing, Hyuuga."

And with that thought running through her mind, Hinata fainted.

0-0-0

_Am I dead? _Hinata wondered. She felt like she was floating. Her body was so...so warm. Every part of her tingled. She felt weightless, painless. The rest of the world didn't the exist; the horror and death and fighting was all gone, replaced by blissful slumber and limbs tingling with pleasure.

But all good things come to an end. Too soon Hinata was pulled from her dream and she became aware of the soft sheets she was lying on, the endless beeping of a heart monitor, the usual scuffle of attentive feet shuffling across the flood. Her eyes opened and yet again she found herself staring at the plain white roof of the Relief Station.

"Hyuuga?" Hinata's heart fluttered and the machine noticed, but to Hinata's embarrassment. It's speed increased and Hinata hurriedly took a breath to calm herself.

"Toshiro-kun?" She mumbled. She twisted her neck and saw Toshiro sitting bed with Hyourinmaru tossed over his shoulder and he leaned forward. He reached out and touched her forehead. Hinata's heart rate quickened. And so did the machine. _Shut up!_

"How do you feel?" He asked and Hinata muttered that she felt fine, great, even. Then she realized she was holding something in her hand and she sat up and raised her hand. Her eyes widened. She was holding Fuyu no Tsuki, her zunpaku-to, and it gleamed proudly in the mid-morning light. Hinata glanced at the window. The sun was high in the sky so she guessed it had been a couple of hours since...since the _incident._

"Do you want me to get Unohana?" Toshiro asked worriedly when Hinata lapsed into silence. She shook her head.

"N-no...P-please d-don't go anywhere..." And suddenly she was sobbing. She remembered Shouta, his blood, his deep red blood, splashing over the concrete. Merging with the dust and scattered rock. Sprinkled across her cheeks...She reached out blindly for Toshiro and buried her head in his shoulder. He gently caressed back and held her tight. He said nothing as Hinata wept into his uniform.

After what seemed like a life time Hinata's crying eased to the point where she could speak, though her voice shook uncontrollably.

"I-it's my fault!" She gasped. "I-if I'd d-deafened mys-self better, Sh-Shouta-kun w-wouldn't be dead!"

"Thats not true." He breathed and his voice was calm and soothing. "You fought well. Kamizuki made his choice to fight for you. It's not your fault he died, Hyuuga."

"D-demo-demo- **(but)**"

"It's _not _your fault, Hyuuga." And there was a tone of finality in his voice and Hinata suddenly believed it truly wasn't her fault. She nuzzled closer to Toshiro, gripping tighter to his haori. He pulled her closer. Closed his arms around her. And Hinata had never felt so safe in her life.

"Hinata-san, are you-oh..." They voice pulled them out of their teary embrace and Hinata gasped when saw Hanatarou standing outside the door. He looked...shocked. Wide pale eyes wide and mouth slightly opened. But then he recovered and dipped his head and a false smile crept across his pale face.

"F-forgive me, I didn't mean to disturb you." His voice was dripping with fake politeness. The sadness and bitter tang of betrayal was easily seen behind the mask.

"H-Hanatarou-kun-" Hinata began but Hanatarou had retreated before she could get his name out. Her face fell and Toshiro stared sympathetically after the brunette boy. He understood his pain all too well.

"He'll be alright." He assured Hinata but she didn't look so sure. Sniffing the teen wiped her tears away and laid back down with an exhausted sigh.

"I-I'm so tired..."

"I know. Go back to sleep." Hinata nodded and Toshiro lifted the blankets up over her chin. She blushed and caught his hand before he managed to withdraw it fully.

"...s-stay?" Her cheeks darkened considerably. She didn't meet in his in fear she'd see mockery flickering in their depths. But instead Toshiro smiled.

"Okay."

0-0-0

Aizen tapped the hogyuku thoughtfully. It shimmered like a thousand suns and its intense, ever-chaning light filled the room. He heard the cry of a raven in the back of his mind and smiled.

"Gin." He said and the silver haired man tore his gaze away from they watery moon hovering in the inky black sky and grinning malevolently at his lord and master.

"Hai, Aizen-taichou~?"

"Remember the order I gave you?"

"Of course~" He hissed playfully.

Aizen closed his eyes and an image of a girl with short black hair and blazing lavender eyes trapped in a ring of fire flashed into his mind. He felt the hogyuku sizzle with excitement at the thought of meeting her again, at the thought of blending with the girl whose name they did not know; the girl who shared the shared its ability, as though she were a human counter part. The smile that lifted Aizen's cheeks was a rare genuine smile that did not hid his insane lust for power and blood and the burning desire in his eyes flared.

"It's time to carry that order out."

* * *

**!I own neither Bleach nor Naruto!**

**Short-ish chapter, I guess. Grr, fighting scenes are hard. The fact someone died didn't make it any easier...I hope I didn't upset anyone with Shouta. He wasn't a main character and didn't get many lines, so I shouldn't think so. Originally, I planned to kill off Sora but she got lucky and survived XP**

**And so Hinata has a zunpaku-to. Fuyu no Tsuki = Winter Full Moon. I don't know the Japanese for 'Freeze the world over', though I wish I did -_- **

**Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you for all the kind comments. Please review! I'll write you a one-shot~**

**[sorry, I lie XD Rukia and Renji aren't in this chapter. Next one!]**


	13. Chapter 13

Hinamori wandered around the hospital with her eyes focused ahead. She looked at no-one, spoke to no-one. She moved silently amongst the doctors and nurses without making a single sound. She was invisible, unnoticeable. Protected from detection by her calm aura and delicate foot steps.

She was on a mission. She hunted the halls of the Relief Station for on specific herb. On that slowly drained a powerful shinigami of his life, like a steadily waxing candle, _drip drip drip..._

Hinamori smiled. No...she smirked. A grim, inhuman smirk, merciless and cruel. So, so cruel. And as she soundlessly approached her destination, all she could think about was the herb and the loving man with his beautiful smile that had requested this simple service of her. The man that appeared in her dreams daily, clad in white and surrounded by fire. Hot, sweltering fire. Always smiling, just like she remembered.

And like always, she was his senselessly obedient dog, padding softly through the path of destruction and hurt that he left in his wake.

0-0-0

Hinata looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing that gorgeous kimono Hanatarou had given her not long ago, purple in colour with that cute pink sash wrapped around her waist. Socks adorned her feet. A lovely bright red flower had been tucked behind her ear. And then Toshiro came up behind her and tied something around her neck. Hinata blushed.

"D-did you make this?" Hinata wondered aloud as she gracefully ran her fingers over the necklace. Pale blue pebbles were threaded onto the string; they resembled pearls, only prettier, in Hinata's opinion. A purple crystal was tied at the end and the colour inside seemed to swirl like mist, giving the stone a mysterious but alluring appearance. It was beautiful.

"No." Toshiro answered. "My Granny have it too me. She said it was my mother's."

"Y-you d-don't have to g-give this to me..." Hinata breathed, touched.

"I want you to have it."

Hinata's blush darkened and she turned around to face him and smiled timidly. Toshiro returned the smile with one of his own and then held out a hand. Hinata took it and he lead her out of the spare room.

Today would mark Hinata's fifth day of living at the Relief Station. And unlike last time, she wasn't finding it boring at all. Toshiro was constantly with her and she adored his company and was sure if it wasn't for him, she would've simply sulked in her room and grieved for Shouta in the comforting darkness of night.

Hinata finally knew why she'd run from Hinamori hugging Toshiro; she liked him. Maybe even more, but she couldn't be sure. Electric sparks fell up her arm whenever he touched her and Hinata yearned to be close to him all the time. She didn't mind in the lest when he felt her hand or rested his head on her shoulder. It made her feel as blissful and free as she had during that deep sleep of hers, after the hollow attack. Sora hadn't been in to see her, nor had Jun, Junichi, Ritsuka or Natsuko, but Hinata guessed they were just busy. Unlike her, none of the others had been attacked by hollows and had no reason to take time off to recover. As to whether Sora was confined to quarters or not, Hinata wasn't sure.

But Hinata knew she'd have to go back sooner or later. Isane and Unohana seemed to enjoy her company but Hinata knew that they'd urge her to return eventually. So as she sat down in the cafeteria with Toshiro to eat, she voiced her decision and deflated a little when Toshiro frowned.

"W-what's wrong?" She asked in a hurt tone.

"It's nothing." He dead panned and went back to eating his lunch. Hinata pouted. Sometimes Toshiro's mysteriousness was annoying or hurtful but she knew he had a good reason for it. Still...they were sort of together now, weren't they? She realized then and there that he hadn't once called her his 'girlfriend' or spoken of Hinamori, his current partner. Though they were a lot closer then they had been and a bit more touchy, Toshiro still hadn't announced he'd broken up with Hinamori and was ready for a serious relationship.

She must've been staring before Toshiro stopped eating and met her gaze. "What?" He asked.

"..." Hinata didn't answer.

"Hyuuga?"

"Toshiro-kun..." Her eyes narrowed. "H-have you t-talked to H-Hinamori-fuku-taichou?"

Toshiro's face darkened dramatically and Hinata flinched. She was trodding on dangerous ground. Then Toshiro abruptly sighed and fell back against the chair. He looked defeated.

"I haven't spoken to her in a while." He confessed. "She's been sleeping a lot lately. And she's high on pills most of the time. I've probably had the chance to break up with her, but I haven't as of yet."

Hinata was surprised by how quickly he'd confessed to not speaking with Hinamori and was glad it hadn't been difficult. She nodded in understanding...then titled her head to the side in that cute way she did when confused. "W-why is Hinamori-fuku-taichou on p-pills?" She questioned.

Toshiro shrugged. "Dreams. Hinamori never truly got over Aizen abandoning his post. She was a wreck for weeks after his disappearance; she hardly left the Infirmary."

Hinata's breath caught in her throat. She had had no idea Hinamori was so physically (and perhaps mentally) unstable. The idea occurred to Hinata that Hinamori may very well have been in love with her captain. She didn't find that hard to believe. According to Isane, he'd been a kind and caring and almost fatherly individual who'd earned the respect and trust of his comrades through hard work and good leadership skills. It wasn't hard to image someone falling for a man with such characteristics; many women wanted men like that, someone who had a back bone and could stand up for himself but was still warm and charming. Aizen fit the bill perfectly.

"Oi, Toshiro!" Hinata looked up to see a tall, orange haired youth standing over them. His eyes were narrow and amber but warm and friendly and he was smiling down at the white haired captain.

Toshiro twitched. "Kurosaki...How many times do I have to tell you? It's not 'Toshiro', it's Hitsugaya-taichou!" He snapped.

"Right, right-urgh!" Suddenly the short, black haired shinigami standing beside him elbowed his rip cage and as he gasped for breath she dipped her head to Toshiro.

"My apologizes, Hitsugaya-taichou." Kuchiki Rukia said. "I'll talk to him later."

"Why, you-"

Rukia kicked him hard in the shin and the orange haired shinigami collapsed to the floor with a howl of pain and Rukia's violet eyes shone with amusement. A smirk appeared on Toshiro's lips and Hinata looked from one to the other with shock written all over her face. Rukia noticed and smiled comfortingly.

"Don't worry, Hinata-dono. He's fine."

"No, I'm not-"

Rukia slapped him over the head and he fell silent.

"You guys want something to eat?" Toshiro offered and Rukia nodded and quickly heaved Ichigo off the ground. He glared reproachfully at the black haired shinigami but she paid him no attention as she took one of the sushi rolls Toshiro offered her and popped it into her mouth. With an annoying sigh, Ichigo took one too and chewed on it thoughtfully.

"Ne, Hinata-dono, would you like to spar with me?" Rukia asked suddenly and Hinata blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected that. "Or are you returning to the Academy?"

"I-I was planning too..." She said awkwardly. It would be fun to spar with Rukia, to use her Fuyu no Tsuki in something less then a life-and-death situation. Ookami-san (Fuyu no Tsuki was her name, but Hinata still called her by her old nick-name) had given little insight into what she was capable of doing and Hinata was desperate to begin training with her Shikai.

"Ah. Perhaps you could spar with me before you leave?" Rukia suggested and Hinata nodded.

"Sure!"

"Great. I'll tell Ukitake-taichou."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Prepare to be knocked down again and again, Hinata-san. Rukia is ruthless-"

And Rukia elbowed him in the guts and Ichigo almost choked on his sushi roll due to surprise and pain. Toshiro closed his eyes so he looked like he was sleeping, though the amusement was clear on his face. Hinata giggled despite her better judgement and Rukia smirked smugly down at Ichigo, who looked about ready to strangle her.

0-0-0

From across the room, Hanatarou watched Hinata giggle, her rosy cheeks and upturned lips, and smiled. She was really, really cute, even if she didn't think that true herself.

Hanatarou had avoided Hinata during the first two days of her stay and had only started talking to her again while he'd been delivering her food and he'd been genuinely surprised at how concerned she was about him and his easily hurt feelings. Touched, he'd forgiven her instantly even though she hadn't done anything wrong. They'd become close friends again and he'd even shared some words with Hitsugaya-taichou, which he hadn't done since Toshiro had been in Fourth Squad himself (after graduating, the Fourth was the only one with the grace to enlist him despite his young age).

He considered going over but decided against it. He didn't want to butt in. He turned around to return to his daily duties but paused when he noticed Hinamori-fuku-taichou walking out of one of the many store rooms in the Relief Station and frowned. It struck him as odd. She was allowed to access storage rooms because of her need for pills but she wouldn't find pills in there no matter how hard she searched, and Hanatarou doubted Unohana-taichou would've given her permission to enter the herb store room. There were plants in there that could prove fatal if taken in an overdose.

So he ran after her, oblivious to the danger he was walking into.

0-0-0

_Clang!_

The metallic ring of steel against steel rang through the clearing. Rukia gave a mighty heave and Hinata stumbled backwards and, seizing the chance, Rukia sprung forward. She cut through the air with her blade, aiming for Hinata's head, but the girl ducked just in time and the blade whistled over her head. Hinata balanced herself on one foot and kicked out harshly with the other, knocking Rukia's legs out from under her. The shinigami fell to the ground with a pained "oof!" and went to get up but before she could, the tip of Fuyu no Tsuki was resting threateningly against her throat.

Rukia smiled and she actually looked impressed. "You're very good, Hinata-dono."

"Th-thanks," Hinata mumbled and she withdrew her blade and offered Rukia a hand. Rukia took it and Hinata helped her off the ground. The girls sheathed their zunpaku-to and started towards the hill that over looked the training ground, where their obento boxes and drink bottles awaited them. As did two powerful looking men with swords clinging to their belts.

"Konnichiwa, Ukitake-taichou." Rukia dipped her head respectfully to the elderly white haired man, who beamed back.

"Hello, Kuchiki. Please, sit and eat. You both look tired." The kind captain advised and the girls obliged. The red haired man with narrow amber eyes and a face and torso utterly covered in tattoos smirked.

"You're losing your touch, Rukia! Losing a student!" Abarai Renji teased and Rukia resisted the urge to throw something at him.

"Urusai, Renji! **(shut up, Renji!)**" She snarled. "Hinata-dono is stronger then she looks. Why, I bet she could kick your ass, too!"

"As if!" Renji huffed. "I'm not scared of little girls!"

"Is that supposed to be an insult, fool? You seriously believe you would get a raise from something a pitiful as that? How pathetic."

"O-oi, listen you little-"

"Now, now, Kuchiki, Abarai-kun. Please calm down." Ukitake urged and the squabbling pair fell silent, though they continued to glare daggers at one another even as Rukia chewed on her onigiri.

With a sigh, Ukitake turned to Hinata with that fatherly grin of his and saw she too was watching Rukia and Renji with troubled eyes. Her long zunpaku-to was lying at her side and she hadn't even touched her food.

"There's so need to worry, Hinata-chan." Ukitake told her and Hinata's eyes twitched to his face. "They're childhood friends. They bicker a lot, but it's all in food fun."

Hinata didn't look thoroughly convinced but swallowed down the explanation along with a mouth full of rice. In truth Rukia and Renji reminded her of Ino and Sakura, though a bit more of Naruto and Sasuke. They're seemingly hostile but friendly jests used to frightened Hinata when she'd witnessed them. She'd always feared Naruto's temper would boil over and he'd attack Sasuke, or Sasuke would simply grow tired of Naruto constantly annoying him and just stop communicating with the blond all together. Hinata wondered what they were doing now. Had Sakura confessed her feelings to Sasuke? Had Naruto confessed his to Sakura? Had Kiba and Shino moved past her death? Had _Naruto _moved past her death?

Hinata realized she was particularly concerned with what Naruto thought and that surprised her. She'd been in love with Naruto not four months ago. She'd loved his confidence and persistence and resilience, three key factors to his character which she had all but lacked. She'd been so weak, so timid. It occurred to her that she had changed quite a bit during her shot time in the after life. She'd become a stronger, more confident girl on her way to becoming a full-fledged shinigami.

Just as Hinata began to feel proud a messenger suddenly appeared kneeling beside Renji and Rukia, whose faces immediately became serious and business-like. Hinata didn't bother to hide her anxiety as Renji addressed the man.

"What's happened?" He demanded and the messenger surveyed him with grave eyes.

"This is more of a message for Hyuuga Hinata, but it is also a concern for us all. Yamada Hanatarou, Yonbantai Nanaseki **(Seventh Seat)** was found unconscious outside the barracks. He is in a critical condition and is being treated as we speak."

"Hanatarou-kun!" Hinata cried and she leapt off her feet. "Who-who hurt him!"

"That information is not yet known." The messenger said emotionlessly. "Unohana-taichou, however, believes him to have been poisoned. There were also severe burns on the left side of his body."

Hinata's eyes grew wide with terror and disbelief. Hanatarou was being operated on as she stood there mulling over her past. Who could have done something so horrible to someone as kind and sweet as Yamada Hanatarou? Hinata found it hard to believe someone from Eleventh Division would injury someone from Fourth so seriously, even if they weren't on the best of terms. A shudder travelled down her spin.

Rukia was next to speak. "Will he be alright?" She demanded.

"Unohana-taichou cannot know until the operation is over." The messenger replied coolly.

Rukia stood up and looked to Hinata. "Come on." She said and Hinata nodded and the two women took off, leaving Renji and Ukitake to discuss Hanatarou's condition with the seemingly emotionally deprived messenger. Hinata didn't know how to shunpo yet so Rukia snatched her hand and dragged her along behind her and Hinata was over joyed when the frightening, blink-of-an-eye journey came to a sudden end.

They hurried into the Relief Station and immediately Hinata saw Toshiro waiting beside the reception desk. He must've known they would come. She darted over to him and he took her hand.

"W-where is he?" She whispered.

"Room A-13." Toshiro replied and he tilted his head towards the wall way. "Unohana is still operating. She will be for a while."

"Oh..."

"He'll recover." Toshiro said firmly. "Unohana is the best healer there is. She can fit anything."

Though Hinata knew that wasn't true and that Toshiro was saying it simply to make her feel better, she was glad he said it and allowed herself a tentative smile. Unohana truly was the greatest healer in the Seireitei; if anyone could save him, Unohana could.

"Would you like some tea?" Toshiro asked and Hinata nodded before looking to Rukia for her answer, but saw that the raven-haired girl had retreated to the door, where Renji had just appeared. They were talking urgently to one another.

Toshiro got the tea for Hinata and as she sat down, he offered some to Rukia and Renji, who both accepted them graciously. Slipping his own cup with uncanny calm, he and Hinata waited for operation to finish. It took a long time. At one point, Hinata dozed off and rested her head on Toshiro's shoulder; a little while later Toshiro fell asleep, too, and rested his head on her hair. She woke up to find him still snoozing and blushed.

And after what felt like a thousand years Unohana Retsu emerged from room A-13 and she looked exhausted. She spotted them and slowly walked over as Hinata and Toshiro both shook themselves awake and stood up.

"He's going to be alright." The moment Hinata heard those words, she felt like a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she let out a sigh of relief. "He'll be shaky on his feet for a few days, but he'll live."

"Thank goodness..." Hinata said wistfully. "I-I was so afraid that..."

"Fear not. He will be perfectly fine." Unohana smiled. "He's asleep, now, but you're welcome to visit him whenever you see fit. Although..." And suddenly her tone formed an edge and Hinata fidgeted nervously. "I do think you should be getting back to the Academy. You've missed quite a bit of school."

Hinata played with her sleeve. She didn't want to go back to school _now! _Hanatarou was hurt! There's no way she'd be able to concentrate knowing he was here, barely clinging to life in the cold and empty hospital ward, his eyes forever closed and his face forever drained of colour...

"I'll watch over him while you're at school, so don't look so worried." Toshiro promised and Hinata's spirits soared.

"Th-thanks." She said sweetly and flashed him a smile. He turned his head away so she didn't notice his minuscule blush.

"Then it's settled. Hinata-san, please go fetch you're things. Hitsugaya-taichou, am I right to assume you'll walk her there?"

"No!" Hinata blurted and both captains looked to her in surprise. She flushed. "S-sorry, but p-please stay with Hanatarou-kun..."

Understanding dawned in his eyes and he nodded. "Alright. Kuchiki!" He called and Rukia looked up from the magazine she was reading and bounced over. "Mind walking Hyuuga to the Academy?"

"Not at all, sir."

"Good. Now, go get your stuff."

0-0-0

"Welcome back," Sora's voice was faint.

"Thanks." Hinata replied. "So...h-have I m-missed anything?"

Sora shook her head. "Nothing important. Is that your zunpaku-to?" She pointed to the sword strapped to Hinata's waist and she nodded. Sora's eyes lit up. "What's its name?"

"F-Fuyu no Tsuki." Hinata said and she liked the way the name sounded on her tongue.

The two girls were sitting at the back of a kido class, waiting for their teacher to arrive. They were going to run through some kido exercises and like usual the chatter coming from the other students was deafening. Beside Sora sat Ritsuka, and he was watching the two with sad, compassionate eyes that Hinata wouldn't have expected from him. He wasn't as icy and heartless as he pretended to be, apparently.

"Why not leave it in your room?" Ritsuka asked quietly.

Hinata touched the hilt. "I...I d-don't really f-feel safe without her."

"Her?"

"Fuyu no Tsuki's a girl." She explained. Ritsuka nodded and went back to staring stonily forward.

Then the teacher arrived and he separated then into groups and ran them through the training course. Hinata hit the target every single time and impressed the teacher to no end. Ritsuka only missed once or twice but Sora hardly ever hit the target and she sat down with her head hung in humiliation. Ritsuka rolled his eyes and Hinata patted her back encouragingly.

The bell rang and she hurried off to history, where she met Jun, and the two gossiped extensively about the last five days; or really, Jun's month ran like a motor and Hinata listened. He didn't ask her once about either the hollow attack or Fuyu no Tsuki, for which she was grateful for. Though he didn't seem like it, Jun was actually very aware of peoples feeling and talked mostly to distract them from their troubles.

History was boring and uneventful as usually and Hinata was immensely relived when the bell rang once again signalling the end of another boring periods. She bid Jun good bye and then walked down the hall to meet Junichi, and after sharing a brief hello they headed off for combat class. Unlike his older brother, Junichi wasn't sure what to say to Hinata and they ended up mostly sitting in an awkward silence. Hinata didn't blame him. Had their positions been reversed, she would've reacted the same way.

When their teacher came in however, he started talking about hollows and Hinata's throat tightened as memories flooded back. Then he did the unthinkable: he asked Hinata to come in front of the class and talk about her experience. Hinata wanted to sink into the floor as she forced herself onto her feet and out in front of the class. Eyes fell onto her zunpaku-to and many mouths gapped to form perfect 'O's. Hinata told the class the short version of what happened; that it had been extremely scary and that she never wanted to feel so helpless again. One of the bitchy noble girls up the back snorted and said she didn't believe a word of what Hinata said, and that Shouta was probably at home crying to him mummy-

Hinata snapped. She picked up the nearest object-the black board eraser, thankfully-and hurtled it at her head. She flung herself to the side with a shameful squeal.

"Don't you dare talk about Shouta-kun like that!" Hinata seethed. "He-he died saving me! His blood was everywhere! It soaked the ground and splashed on my face and...and..." Hinata voice trailed off and the room held its breath. Then Hinata bolted.

She stayed huddled in her room until one of the kinder teachers came and coaxed her out into the open. The bitchy girl who'd doubted her story was there and she apologized for her rudeness. Hinata didn't think much of it but grudgingly forgave her anyway.

Hinata was excused from the after noon classes and she decided to spend the remainder of the day outside in the cool, fresh air. She looked up at the sky and sighed. She hoped Hanatarou was okay and that Toshiro was keeping his promise, though she didn't doubt him in the least. Then she wondered who could have possibly attacked the near defenceless boy and came up with nothing other then a cloaked figure standing eerily in an ally way.

"It's a beautiful day." Hinata remarked to herself.

"Yeah, it is."

Hinata flinched in surprise and whirled round, her hand flashing to the hilt of her sword as she dropped into battle-mode. Her tense muscles relaxed, though, when she saw it was just Ritsuka, with his greasy black hair pulled into a pony tail and his emerald green eyes narrowed in concern.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He apologized and Hinata straightened.

"I-it's okay. Wh-what's up?" She knew Ritsuka wasn't a threat. But her hand stayed on Fuyu no Tsuki anyway.

Ritsuka was silent for a moment; he stared the ground and seemed to struggle over what he was going to say. And when he finally spoke, Hinata could hear the reluctance in his voice. "...Junichi and I are, well, worried about you."

Hinata simply blinked and waited for him to continue.

"Junichi's back there," He said and he pointed over his shoulder and sure enough, Hinata spotted the fiery mane of Junichi poking around the bend. "He was too nervous to come over. He told me about what happened in combat class...and he wants to help. He does. He hates seeing his friends like this. So do I, frankly. So...so if you ever need, I don't know..." He shrugged. "just someone to glare at, we're here for you."

"...Ritsuka-kun-" Hinata began-

_**BOOM!**_

Suddenly the near by school building exploded; rock, fire and ash rose upwards in a furious wave, as though reaching for the sky. Shock waves riddled the earth and zapped up Hinata's spin and she almost fell over right then and there. And then the air was choked with the blackest, most sickening presence Hinata had ever felt in her entire life and somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard Ookami-san howl in fury.

"Wh-what are they!" She heard Ritsuka breath and she strained her neck and looked up, up into the sky. It had been torn open by a pale hand, a gaping black hole carved into the sea of blue. And in the hole stood two men, one averaged size, the other of monstrous proportions, and slowly they both stepped out of the hole and walked through the sky, held up by nothing but their reiatsu alone.

Dazzling emerald eyes found lavender ones; and in their depths she saw nothing, nothing but hell-bent desire to for fill his master's wishes. And Hinata knew in that moment that the two monstrous being hovering over the Academy weren't leaving till their hands were sticky with blood.

* * *

**!I own neither Bleach nor Naruto!**

**Done ^^ Finally, the Academy-battle (sorta) begins X3 I've been looking forward to this. And what comes after.**

**Thank you for all the nice comments. Seriously, you guys are amazing :D You make me so happy. I'll try to let all the Espada have some time in the spotlight, so Espada fans, be happy X3**

**Thanks for reading! Please review~!**


	14. Chapter 14

Toshiro examined Hanatarou's face for what seemed like the thousandth time that afternoon and grimaced. He could barely see Hanatarou's actually face beneath the layers of bandage that had been wrapped around his face, again and again and again. Only one of his eyes were visible but above that was a small cut covered in healing ointment. A tube emerged from the bandages covering his mouth and trailed across the floor and connected to a life support system that was keeping the poor boy alive. Toshiro was immensely glad Hinata hadn't seen him in this state; she would've been traumatized. Heck, Toshiro was unnerved by his appearance.

There was a knocking at the door. Toshiro was glad for the excuse to stop observing the battered and bruised seventh seat. "Enter."

The door opened and Toshiro's heart skipped a beat. Hinamori Momo stood a few weary steps inside the ward and gently pushed the door closed with her foot. Her hands were supporting a tray, on which two cups of what appeared to be tea sat steaming. She walked over and set the tray on a near by table. Toshiro's eyes never left her figure.

"How are you, Hitsugaya-kun?" Hinamori asked and she looked away from the cups with a smile on her face.

Toshiro hesitated before responding. "...Fine, thank you. And you?"

"Better then ever. The pills really worked; I can sleep soundlessly now." She informed him.

"Thats great."

A stifling silence fell. Toshiro stared at his hands; they were very boring and he quickly grew tired of making up patterns in his finger nails. Hinamori watched the steam slowly rise from the liquid bubbling inside the cups. And for the briefest moment that cruel determination sparked in her eyes but was gone before Toshiro noticed it.

"...Hitsugaya-kun..." She said quietly and Toshiro stiffened. "I understand, you know?"

He blinked. "Understand what?"

She smiled. "That you don't love me, you big dummy."

Toshiro's eyes widened slightly; then he frowned and his eyes narrowed. "...I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Shiro-chan. I understand how you feel and I'm sorry for making you suffer. I sensed that maybe you didn't like me as much as you said you did about a month ago, and when I saw you worrying so much over Hinata-chan..." She heaved a heavy sigh. "I just knew. And it's alright. To be honest, I don't think I loved you as much as I thought, either. Maybe I was just clinging to your friendship; my heart was broken, after all. I...I just needed someone, and you were always there for me." Her eyes sparkled. "You saved me...and I guess I mistook my gratitude for love." She took a few steps forward and stared him in the face. "I'm sorry, Shiro-chan."

"You have no reason to apologize," Toshiro insisted and he chose to ignore the infuriating nick-name. "I shouldn't have left this go on for so long. I was being a coward."

Hinamori smiled. "So...we're all good?"

"If you are."

"Then we are." And Hinamori grabbed the tray and practically skipped over to his side. Her face was positively radiating happiness and relief, relief that this was all over and they could get on with their lives. Toshiro felt the same way, though only a small percentage of it showed on his icy exterior. He stood up and took a cup and Hinamori took the other; she tucked the stray under her arm and they both sat down beside Hanatarou's sleeping form.

Toshiro took a swig of what appeared to be tea and his eyes widened. It was _delicious! _It was almost like lemon aid, with a bubbling quality to it, but the taste was entirely different; it had a watermelon-like tang to it. Convinced the liquid wasn't tea, Toshiro pulled away from his lips and inspected the surface. It was a pale pink colour with little black seeds floating on the surface. They looked like watermelon seeds.

"Hinamori, what is this?" He inquired.

"You like it?" Hinamori giggled. She still hadn't taken a sip of hers. "I made it this morning."

"It's delicious," He said firmly, before taking another long sip. The liquid tickled his throat; he could feel it travelling down through his chest. He licked his lips, not wanting to lose a drop of the heavenly drink. It was definately one of the greatest fizzy drinks he'd ever tasted in his long life.

"Thanks." Hinamori beamed. "I gave some to Hanatarou-kun, and it worked perfectly."

Toshiro froze, the cup half-way to his lips. Had he heard correctly? "...What?"

"Hmm? Oh, I gave some to Hanatarou-kun. He almost died; the experiment was a huge success. I put more in your cup, so you should probably pass out; he kept yelling and screaming for help but no-one could hear him."

Horror twisted Toshiro's insides. "Hinamori...? Are...are you saying _you're _the one that poisoned Yamada?"

She nodded. "Of course. _And _the one that poisoned you, Shiro-chan."

His grip on the cup went limb and it slid between from fingers and shattered on the floor. The poisonous fluid pooled on the cold titles as Toshiro stared, wide-eyed, at his childhood friend, her friendly smile, her twinkling eyes; and the insanity that boiled just beneath the surface, hot and red.

Toshiro jumped up and backed away. He couldn't believe it. Bed Wetter Momo, _his Bed Wetter Momo, _the woman he had always viewed as his older goofy sister, she was seriously trying to kill him, to _kill _him-

No. She wasn't 'trying'. She _had. _It was only a matter of time.

Hinamori slowly rose from her chair, making soft and delicate movements that reminded Toshiro of a ghost. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could he was suddenly overcome with weariness, so sudden in its coming that Toshiro staggered backwards and fell against the wall. His chest began to throb. His breathing became laboured. He felt like there was something kind of blockage in his throat, clogging up his airway. He couldn't breath properly.

And suddenly Hinamori was there. She gently touched a hand to his cheek and he flinched. It didn't feel the same.

"Oh, is it painful?" She asked and she sounded genuinely surprised. "I'm sorry, Shiro-chan. I didn't mean to make it painful." And as though to make up for the pain, Hinamori brushed her lips against his forehead. And then his legs gave way and he slid down the door, gasping for air and clutching his chest. Sweat ran down his face and dripped off his nose. Hinamori stared down at him with a sad expression on her face.

_D-damn it..._Toshiro thought furiously. _I-I'm gonna die...crap...damn it, Hinamori...!  
_

"H-Hina...m-mori..." He gasped and she knelt down so she could hear him. "Wh-why...?"

"Hmm? Aizen-taichou asked me to, Shrio-chan. He visited my dreams while I was sleeping! Isn't he amazing?"

So, Toshiro reflected grimly. Aizen had taken Hinamori's mind and pounded it into oblivion when he'd departed, leaving both him and her for dead. She'd really gone off the deep end. She didn't seem to care that Toshiro was dying right in front of her and that she'd be executed for killing a captain; no, all she cared about was Aizen Souske, brilliant, wonderful, charming Aizen Souske.

And Toshiro knew the moment she said those words that the Hinamori Momo he knew died alone with Aizen's captaincy over fifth division.

0-0-0

"Cero."

The pale skinned arrancar raised his hand and from his palm shot out a fiery beam of red-hot light; it cut through the air and smashed into the ground and it exploded on impact. The force of the blast sent Hinata sprawling in the dirt; rocks cut into her arms and legs and she winced in pain. With a soft groan she forced herself onto her legs and looked to the skies; and lunged to the side as another cero came blasted towards her. She rolled across the grassy ground and slammed into a tree. Her mouth opened in a silent scream of pain and she lay motionless in the dirt, gasping for air.

Ritsuka cursed and scrambled to his feet and sprinted forward. The slim arrancar frowned at the boy's running form and shot a cero directly at his back; it was a small cero that wouldn't kill, just injure. It hit him squarely in the bend of his back and he let out an involuntary cry of pain. He tripped over his own feet and staggered forward before falling head first into the grass less then a meter away from Hinata, who was climbing to her feet.

"Ritsuka-kun!" She yelled frantically and she crawled forward, reaching out-

"I'm fine," He growled and he harshly smacked her hand away. Hinata made a whimpering sound by accident and her eyes filled with hurt.

"Ritsuka-kun! Hinata-san!" Junichi called from across the smoking field and his eyes were wide with fear. He took a step forward, wanting to help his injured friends, but Hinata cried for him to stop.

"No! J-just run, Junichi-kun! Hurry! They'll s-shoot you!"

"Get help!" Ritsuka added stupidly. As if anyone could come to help two stray students, when the entire academy was being attacked?

Junichi hesitated before nodding to Hinata and turning on heel and racing into the school building. Hinata wriggled onto her knees, then onto her feet. Ritsuka did the same, though his back throbbed with every movement. He glared fiercely at the demonic being floating in the sky.

"Oi, Ulquiorra!" Yammy exclaimed after shooting his fifth cero at the panicked students fleeing through the gate. Their screams sent shudders of excitement up his mind. "Is that 'er?" He demanded and he shoved a fat sausage finger at Hinata and Ritsuka, cowering in the shadow of the trees.

Ulquiorra followed the giant man's gaze and looked Hinata directly in the face. And she stared back and though her fear was obvious, so was her defiance. He looked away and closed his eyes.

"Yes, Yammy. But the boy is garbage. Do with him what you will."

"Que Suerte **(what luck)**!" Yammy bellowed. "That saved us the trouble of searching the whole damn place!" And he kicked off and sailed through the air like a missile and crashed into the ground with a deafening _thud. _The ground lurched and Hinata let out a frightened squeal, flinching away from the creator he'd created. Yammy emerged from his collum of dust and grinned victoriously, barring his huge, sharp fang-like teeth. Ulquiorra touched lightly against the ground behind him and his face was impassive and uninterested.

A scream caught in Hinata's mouth. Yammy's reiatsu...was crushing her. She could feel it weighing on her shoulder, dragging her down. Her arms trembled. Her mouth quivered. Her eyes refused to blink. All she could do was stare in blind panic as the enormous creature that was Yammy sauntered over with his head held high and eyes burning with anticipation.

But suddenly his expression turned sour. Gin had spoken Hinata like she had abilities that rivalled Aizen's, a goddess in the flesh; but what Yammy saw was not some all-powerful, flesh-bound deity, all he saw was a scared little girl trembling in her boots. His eye brow twitched and he turned on black haired, emerald eyed partner.

"Oi, Ulquiorra!" He yelled in outrage. "What's with this! That bastard Ichimaru said she was gonna be strong!"

"He also said she had no control over her abilities." Ulquiorra reminded him coldly. "She doesn't know how to use them yet."

Yammy snorted in disgust. "Pah! Then this is just a waste of my time! Why even send us!"

"Because she is protected by powerful people." Ulquiorra explained and he looked to the sky, his dark green eyes dull. And a second later there was a flash of light dancing on metal and Yammy let out a cry of surprise as a sword had brought down upon his head.

The force of the blow crushed the earth beneath Yammy's feet but didn't actually wound _him. _With a grunt he flicked the attacker away, who skidded across the ground and came to a abrupt halt beside Hinata and Ritsuka. Hinata gasped.

Kurosaki Ichigo's scowl was set in stone. He glared furiously at the two arrancar and he gripped his sword's hilt till his knuckles shone white. Power radiated off him like warmth from the sun and Hinata shivered. "You alright, Hinata-san?"

Hinata just nodded. Her throat felt like sand paper.

"Stay back, alright? These guys...are dead meat!"

Ichigo raised his huge sword out in front of him in one lightning-quick motion and yelled: "**Ban**...**Kai**!"

And suddenly Ichigo was lost in a burst of reiatsu that sent dirt and dust shooting towards the sky. His reiatsu was hot and heavy and clung to Hinata exposed skin like sweat; and then the dust began to settle and Ichigo's tall, muscular form came into view. Clad in the blackest black Hinata had ever seen, with a jet-black katana clasped firmly in his hands, Ichigo was more then intimidating; he was down right scary.

"Tensa Zangetsu!" Ichigo hissed the name out through gritted teeth. His amber eyes blazing with battle lust. Yammy's grin only widened at the sight of Ichigo and his obvious power.

"Heh heh! This is Kurosaki Ichigo, isn't! Aizen-sama would be over the moon if we brought him back too!"

Ulquiorra said nothing. He just stared icily at Hinata, studying her form and features. She didn't look dangerous at all; her limbs were scrawny-looking and she was pitifully small, and yet he could feel a strange presence surrounded her. It was a light and peaceful power that flowed like water...but beneath it was something darker, something violent; something that raged like the hungry waves on a storm-scared sea. Though his face never changed, Ulquiorra found the girl both interesting...and even a little frightening.

Yammy thrust his hand forward in an attempt to the pound Kurosaki into the ground; but Ichigo's hand flashed up and Yammy's huge fist thudded against it, doing no damage. Ichigo smacked the hand away like it was nothing more then a nuisance and then...disappeared.

Yammy screeched in agony as his arm was suddenly ripped off and clapped against the ground. Blood gushed from the wound, dark red against the pale blue of the torn sky. Behind him, Ichigo rested his sword on his shoulder and watched Yammy, his amber eyes practically glowing with their intensity; waiting for the huge man to stop hollering like a baby.

Ulquiorra sighed. _Idiot, Yammy. Always rushing in without thinking or testing his opponent's skills. It's a wonder you're even in the Espada, with a brain like that._

"YOU BASTARD!"

Yammy whirled Ichigo and with a maddening scream he attacked. Ichigo leapt into the air and did a fancy twist, landing softly a metre away while Yammy's was lost in a shower of dust and rock, the earth shattering like broken glass at his touch. Eyes burning with fury, Yammy raced forward and screamed bloody murder.

And the fight continued; Yammy swung wildly at Ichigo with his one remaining arm and Ichigo danced out of his reach, swooping in unexpectedly to carve his blade into his flesh. Yammy's movements were broad and choppy, Ichigo's swift and smooth; they almost seemed to be dancing. Ichigo launched himself into the air and kicked Yammy harshly in the side of the head, just below his ear; and in response,Yammy howled and lashed out. Ichigo blocked the blow with his sword and then his lips moved, forming words that Hinata could barely hear.

"**Getsuga**...**Tensho**!"

A wave of pure black reiatsu poured out from Ichigo's sword and cut into Yammy's wrist; with a roar he leapt back and blood flooded out from his wrist-wound, splattering across the grass like crimson rain. Ichigo clasped his sword firmly in his hands and took a step back as he prepared to rush himself forward, back into the battle-

"Cero."

A blast of emerald green light shot out from Ulquiorra's lazily raised finger and bowled right into Ichigo, and the shinigami was lost amongst the blinding flash of green. And suddenly Hinata heard a bone-chilling roar of a hollow and a horrific reiatsu filled the air, hard and heavy and so thick Hinata could barely breath. A powerful surge of black reiatsu sliced through the green cero and the attack shattered. The energy steadily cleared and Ichigo stepped out and onto the lawn, breathing hard but still steady on his feet-

Hinata's air skipped a beat.

Ichigo was wearing a mask so akin to that of a hollow, Hinata thought her eyes had been deceiving her. But it was very clear, the bleach-white skull glued to his face, thick red stripes running down the sides like trails of long since dried blood; and Hinata felt a shudder of fear ripple up her spin and she inched closer to Ritsuka, who was trembling from head to toe. Ichigo's eyes were black and red, and a hellish fire sizzled in their depths.

"Ulquiorra." His voice was...strange. It sounded like two voices merged together, Ichigo's and another shriller voice. Hinata stared. And then she saw something; a flickering and faded image of... of Ichigo, standing behind _Ichigo, _only this other Ichigo had white hair, grey skin and black eyes with murky yellow irises. Their gazes locked and his eyes widened slightly; and then he was gone.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Ulquiorra replied in his flat, emotionless voice.

The hatred between the two was as obvious as the moon was round.

"U-Ulquiorra," Yammy huffed. "What the hell-"

And suddenly Ulquiorra struck Yammy in his guts so hard that it broke the skin and the giant crumbled to the floor. Ulquiorra stared down at him with his eyes narrowed into something that wasn't quite a glare but certainly not far from it.

"You are a fool, Yammy. You don't stand a chance against Kurosaki Ichigo without releasing your zunpaku-to; and Aizen-sama ordered us not to do so." Yammy growled but Ulquiorra just continued like he'd heard nothing. "There are shinigami coming. I can feel them and they are weak. Dispose of them."

"I'm not 'yer fucking slave!" Yammy snarled and Hinata flinched. But Ulquiorra stood his ground with that same look of barely suppressed contempt drilling into the big man's forehead.

"Dispose of them, Yammy."

His tone was so grave, so chilling, that Hinata was sure Yammy would've jumped off a cliff had Ulquiorra requested it. Something close resembling fear flickered in Yammy's eyes and with a curt nod he scrambled to his feet and then disappeared.

Ichigo started. "Oi, matte-!"

And then Ulquiorra was attacking him, his sword drawn in a movement to quick for the eye to catch and the metallic hiss of metal against metal rung throughout the yard. Ichigo grunted as the power behind Ulquiorra's strike forced him back a pace and Ulquiorra stared into the boy's eyes, green against amber, both burning with hatred. And heated respect.

"Aizen-sama ordered Yammy and I to complete this mission in the least amount of time as possible." Ulquiorra explained and Ichigo snarled. "There for, I will be the one to fight you, for fighting Yammy would take far to long."

"And you think..." Ichigo seethed. "...that the fight will end quickly if you're my opponent!"

"Of course." Ulquiorra replied frostily. "It will take me less then fifteen minutes to erase you from existence."

And then Ulquiorra threw Ichigo off his blade, and as the teenager slipped and slid across the muddy ground, Ulquiorra sprung, and the brutal brawl began.

0-0-0

Toshiro was fading.

He could feel himself slipping away, minute by minute. The poison tearing at his organs. Slowly ripping him apart from the inside. He had long since collapsed and was now curled into a ball shuddering with pain, his skin deathly pale and eyes frighteningly dull. And all the while Hinamori simply sat close by and hummed merrily to herself and stared out the window, watching the sunlight dance across the room, sitting on the edge of Hanatarou's bed.

And then Toshiro stiffened as he felt her gently stroke his hair. He didn't look up, for he feared what he would see in her face. Her eyes. Her smile. When he looked at her he saw a sinister and twisted woman that was not Hinamori Momo, but an impostor drowning in her own insanity.

"It'll be over soon, Shiro-chan." She promised and her fingers brushed against his sweaty cheek. "You'll die in a minute or so. Then the pain will stop. Okay? Won't that be good? No more pain and as much watermelon as you could possibly want."

Toshiro gritted his teeth. Squeezed his eyes shut. He wanted to cry. He really, really did. Hinamori...what had happened to her? Why was she doing this? How could this have happened to the innocent little girl he used to know, the one that saw the world through a veil of daisies and roses and pretty pink haze? The one who thought there was no badness in the world and couldn't bare the thought of hurting someone else, especially someone she loved. Like Toshiro, her 'adopted' brother...

_Aizen Souske...If I survive this, I swear I'll fucking kill you..._

And then the dying captain heard a voice. A voice he knew off by heart, a voice that taunted him everyday, a voice he could trust his life with: the voice of Matsumoto Rangiku stalking down the corridor, calling his name. _His name!_

Hope, bright and white and beautiful, bloomed in Toshiro's chest. His eyes popped open and his face regained some colour. If he could call to Matsumoto, he might be saved. And if he wasn't, then at the very least Hinamori wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else. Her killing spree would end and she would be locked up good and tight, barred from ever carrying out Aizen's deeds again.

"Ma...Matsu...moto.." Toshiro gasped. His voice was faint, so, so incredibly _faint. _He could barely hear himself. He coughed. "Matsu...M-Matsu..."

"Ah, now, now, Shiro-chan," Hinamori whispered and she quickly knelt down beside him. "There's no need to talk-"

"Matsumoto!" Somehow he found the strength to shout. But the moment the sound left his body he knew that he wouldn't be able to raise his voice again; his throat was like razor blades, so painful it made him want to weep.

Hinamori's eyes flashed in fury and suddenly he was being bashed against the wall with her hands locked around his throat. She leant in close, oh so close, so that her lips were just about brushing against his ear...

"_**Shut up.**_" She hissed. Her grip tightened. Toshiro's eyes grew wide. She was cutting off his air pipe completely; he couldn't even gasp. White specks twirled across his vision and Toshiro realized he was fainting, both from the poison and from air lose. He had no strength left; he couldn't lift his arms to fight back. It was over. Hinamori was going to kill him. He...he would never see Hinata again.

And he didn't even get to say he loved her.

"Taichou?" Matsumoto! The door to Hanatarou's room and Hinamori torture chamber suddenly opened to reveal the strawberry blond and busty form of Toshiro's vice-captain, her expression soft and curious...only to turn horror stricken when she saw what Hinamori was doing.

"TAICHOU!" She shrieked and she charged. Hinamori's hand released his throat and as Toshiro fell, he fainted. He took in Hinamori leaping at Matsumoto with a savage, almost inhuman howl, Matsumoto's look of pure shock, and the cold surface of the tiles before he disappeared into the darkness and knew no more.

0-0-0

"Abarai-kun!"

"Huh?" Abarai Renji looked up from his lunch to see his blond, blue eyed friend Kira Izuru racing towards him and his face was white as a sheet. Beside him, Kuchiki Rukia rose to her feet and studied the Third Divisioner with a worry and concern etched into her features. "What's wrong, Kira? You look horrible."

"The Academy!" He gasped as he came to a awkward stop and he bent over, gasping for breath and dripping with sweat. "The Academy!"

"The Academy _what!_" Rukia pressed and Renji stood also. He didn't like where this was going at all.

And then they spotted Hisagi Shuhei, the Ninth Division vice-captain, hurrying over with the same panicked expression as Kira. Renji tensed and prepared himself for the worst possible news, for only something devastating could've caused Hisagi to pull such a face.

"What's happened, fuku-taichou!" Rukia demanded.

"The Academy has been attacked by Espada!"

0-0-0

The Captain-General's eyes glinted dangerous in the fiery sunlight as he silently rose from his seat. Walking stick at hand. Eyes hard and face expressionless.

"What brings you here..." His voice was dripping with contempt as the silver haired figure came strolling into view, clad in white and zunpaku-to strapped to his waist. "...Ichimaru Gin?"

The fox-faced ex-shinigami grinned and opened his eyes. Bright blue and bubbling with amusement.

"Nice to see you to, So-taichou."

* * *

**!I own neither Bleach nor Naruto!**

**Fufufu! It's all happening! Toshiro's lying unconscious, dying; Hinamori's trying to kill Matsumoto; Ichigo's battling it out with Ulquiorra; Hinata is seeing strange images of Hollow-Ichigo; Yammy's gone to kill some shinigami (Renji, Kira, Hisagi and Rukia, perhaps, as they race to help Ichigo!); and Gin is confronting the so-taichou with his mocking grin and dazzling blue eyes.**

**I have decided to just post this now because it was hell to write, and if I don't, it'll be days before chap. fifteen is up, but I'll go back to the two-by-two chap upload after fifteen. **

**Thanks for reading! Please review! And don't hate me for the cliffy! MAAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**[HOLY COW! 39 reviews! X3 Thank you so much!]**


	15. Chapter 15

They were running. Rukia, Renji, Kira, Hisagi. Running as fast as their legs could carry them, sprinting towards the academy. Rukia's thighs ached and her breathing came in short and painful gasps that left a stinging sensation burning in her throat and sweat trailed down her face in rivers.

All Rukia could think about was Ichigo; his fight; the arrancar with which he fought. She could feel their grossly dark reiatsu, heavy and crushing and smouldering, like a thick black veil of invisible darkness, stretching across the landscape. And then Ichigo's reiatsu suddenly flared and a bright flash of green and a jaggered shot of black lightning spilt the sky; then all was quiet. Rukia gasped and quickened her pace so she caught right up with Renji, whose massive strides should've quickly outpaced hers.

"LOOK OUT!"

Kira's sudden scream took Rukia by surprise but was not a moment too soon, for a blink later the earth erupted beneath their feet and they were hurtled into the air. Rukia's feet smashed against the ground and she winced. Then she blanched as she caught sight of the monstrous creature stumbling towards them.

A gigantic beast of a man towered above them and Rukia was devoured by his incredible shadow. His eyes glinted dangerously in the light and his expression positively oozed contempt and battle-lust. One of his limbs was missing; nothing but a bloody stump remained. But somehow the obvious handicap made the monster seem no less threatening, no less terrifying.

Yammy raised his head and an arrogant grin swept over his face.

"Hello..." He seethed. "...little shinigami!"

0-0-0

_Slash! Ching! Smack! Thud! Slap!_

The horrific hiss of metal marking flesh met Ichigo's ears before the pain of Ulquiorra's blow seared in his shoulder. He stumbled away as the pain pounded in his ears. Ulquiorra lunged and Ichigo whirled; and the blade passed right by Ichigo's cheek, leaving the shallowest of cuts. And Ichigo's blade curved through the air and searched for Ulquiorra's throat; but the arrancar's speed was too great and he was gone before Ichigo could lop of his head.

Their blades met again with a resounding _chsssss _and Ichigo gritted his teeth, Ulquiorra kept his face steady. Eyes of amber and black met eyes of emerald; and there was nothing but a deep and undying hate reflected in each. Ichigo threw Ulquiorra off his blade with a massive heave. He sprung forward, Zangetsu flashing. Ulquiorra ducked down quickly and the blade whistled over his head; and then Ulquiorra thrust his sword towards Ichigo's guts and the boy only just managed to spin to the side and he spun his sword down towards Ulquiorra's shoulder; but again Ulquiorra disappeared before the blow could land and Ichigo's veins bulged in frustration.

And then they picked up the pace and the two battling figures became nothing but white and black blurs to Hinata's eyes; every second or so a part of the earth erupted without warning as either man smacked it with their swords; Ichigo's black Getsuga Tensho cracked like thunder and Ulquiorra's bright green cero dazzled Hinata's eyes, but other then that, they were practically invisible to the eye of a student.

Beside her Ritsuka cringed. Their reiatsu was just too much for him to take; he could feel the sickening aura seeping through his skin, into his bones. Eating him from the inside out. His face dripped with perspiration and his arms shook. His eyes were wide, his pupils contracted. His shoulders were shaking; his lips quivers. He felt about ready to be sick but nothing came up. And it didn't help that Hinata seemed no more then slightly shaken by the crushing reiatsu that choked the air. Why she didn't appear affected Ritsuka didn't know and under normal circumstances he would've questioned it, but weak as he was he hadn't energy to bother.

And suddenly the men slowed and Hinata could see them properly. Blood splattered against the grass and Ichigo cursed as blood squeezed between his teeth; dripping down his chin. In his side a shallow gash bled and the cut on his face looked deeper; it was certainly bloodier. Ulquiorra stood steadily on strong legs and brushed some dirt off his wash-white jacket. Hinata gasped. Ulquiorra was utterly wound-less, save for a few stray cuts and bruises though none actually appeared to hurt the black haired man. He looked as uncaring and uninterested as ever, his face calm and collected and blank. And cold. So incredibly cold.

"Give up." Ulquiorra said in a flat voice and Ichigo stiffened.

"What?"

"Give up. You can't fight me all-out while protecting those children. You'll kill them; we're already killing the boy with our combined reiatsu." And Ichigo's head whipped round and he spotted Ritsuka standing on wobbling knees. The boy was about to collapse and though Hinata was clearly able to stand, her face was white as a sheet and her eyes were stretched wide. Ichigo's grip on Zangetsu tightened till his knuckles shone white.

"Let's fight somewhere else!" He shouted and Ulquiorra's stare drilled into his forehead.

"I am no fool, Kurosaki Ichigo. The moment we leave you'll start fighting me all out with your mask, and the fight will become troublesome." Ulquiorra took a step forward and raised his sword so the tip pointed directly at Ichigo's head. "And Aizen-sama ordered me to bring the girl back quickly. I haven't the time to spar meaninglessly with the likes of you, Kurosaki Ichigo."

All the while Ulquiorra's voice was toneless and cold but his words seemed to have pierced Ichigo like a knife. Ulquiorra acted so high, so mighty. Like no matter what Ichigo did, the outcome would bet he same; Ichigo would die, Ichigo would lose. Ulquiorra would leave, Ulquiorra would win. It was _infuriating!_

With a battle cry fuelled by rage Ichigo launched himself forward and with monstrous strength smashed his sword against Ulquiorra's and the ground shattered upon impact. It lurched beneath Hinata and Ritsuka's feet and with cries of surprise the children collapsed into the grass and mud and dirt below.

Hinata winced as blood dripped steadily from a new graze on her elbow but she pushed away the pain and scrambled to her knees. She tried to get to her feet by the shock wave from the attack knocked her straight back down again and, admitting defeat, Hinata crawled closer to Ritsuka. And then she looked at him and gaped. Ritsuka's face was white. Really _white. _Any and all colour had completely drained from his face and his breathing was laboured; his entire frame shook with the effort to...to keep _alive. _Ulquiorra was right. The pressure was killing Ritsuka.

_Shit._

Ichigo lashed out and Ulquiorra jumped to the side; and Ichigo twisted into the air as Ulquiorra's palm lit up and a heart beat later a blinding green light shot through the sky like a lazer blast. Ichigo landed lightly a few feet away and ground his feet into the grass and propelled himself forward. Hellish black reiatsu lined with red poured out from Ichigo's palm and coiled around the jet-black blade like hungry snakes, sticking like glue. Then Ulquiorra whipped his sword up just in time to avoid being cut in two as Ichigo brought his sword down in a flashing arch, aiming for Ulquiorra's chest; and then Ulquiorra's eyes suddenly widened a fraction and Ichigo grinned.

"**Getsuga Tensho!**"

A concentrated blast of sheer power burst of Zangetsu and devoured the patch of land Ulquiorra had been standing and more. When the black vapour cleared Hinata saw the ground had been completely ripped apart by Ichigo's ferocious attack...and Ulquiorra was no where to be seen.

With an exhausted huff Ichigo's mask shattered like broken glass and clapped against the ground. Ichigo stared at the spot where Ulquiorra had been, his breathing laboured.

Hinata's breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat; all she could see of Ulquiorra was a bloody sliver of white cloth lying idly in the centre of the destruction. Crimson red mingling with stark white. A bead of sweat trailed off Hinata's chin. No. Ulquiorra _couldn't be dead. _That was way to _easy, _though she doubted Ichigo thought the same way. Ulquiorra was obviously a strong arrancar with a zunpaku-to of his own, which he didn't even use apart from defending himself.

Right. Left. Behind. Front. Below. Hinata checked each direction in turn. And a shudder of fear rippled up her spin. If not right, left, behind, front or below...

...then he was _above._

And then Ulquiorra was there. Directly behind Ichigo he raised his hand and pressed his fingers together so his hand looked like some sort of blade. Ichigo, dazed from blood loss and clumsy on his feet, didn't notice the blow coming till it was too late. Ulquiorra's limb came swinging down and Ichigo's mouth opened in a silent scream as his fast coming fate was reflected in his eyes-

"Sekai no Kotetsu, Fuyu no Tsuki!"

Ice, bright and blue and beautiful, snaked across the ground in a frantic rush and seemed to leap for Ulquiorra's oncoming hand; and it was instantly encased in shimmering ice and it crawled up his arm and came to an abrupt halt at his shoulder. Ice shards floated through the air; catching the light and shimmering like a thousand glittering diamonds.

And Ulquiorra's eyes widened in pure shock.

He flexed his fingers. Or tried, at the very least. But the ice was rock solid and seemingly unbreakable, even for someone of his rank. Ulquiorra's mind buzzed with confusion. This girl-this meek, tiny, nuisance of a child-was nothing more then an Academy student and yet her feeble attacks could force him to a stand still as though he were bound in chains. Was this because of her ability? Her powers were stronger, rivalling or perhaps surpassing those of captain-class shinigami, because of her ability to bend space and time as Aizen so claimed? He had found it hard to believe that then but now it seemed like a very probable suggestion.

But Ulquiorra had no time to think the girl's actions through because Ichigo had realized his advantage and was spinning round and his blade was coming, reaching for Ulquiorra's throat. Ulquiorra took a hasty step back but the ice held in in place. And then Ulquiorra whipped out with his free hand and his fingers began to glow green as he pressed them hard against Ichigo's rip cage-

And in a horrific clash of black and green, blood splattered across the grass.

0-0-0

Blood. Slick, warm. Oozing from the deep gash in Rukia's back.

Yammy stood over her. His fingers sticky with Rukia's blood. He looked board, disappointed by Rukia's performance. A little further away Hisagi and Kira lay in a heap of mangled flesh with their zanpaku-to lying a good ten feet away; and beyond that was Renji trapped beneath a fallen pillar, blood trickling down his arm as he struggled to break away from the white stone keeping him immobile.

"Ha. You guys were pathetic." Yammy grumbled and he flicked some of the blood of his fat-sausage fingers. Then he lifted his foot and brought it flying towards Rukia's head. "Goodbye."

Rukia's eyes widened. The foot was coming towards her at a freakish pace, coming closer and closer and closer and closer-

"RUKIA!" Renji screamed.

And then ground exploded.

"Huh?" Yammy was all but bemused. "Who're you?"

Rukia's eyes were so wide, they looked around ready to pop out of her head. "U-Ukitake-taichou! Kyoraku-taichou!"

The said captain glanced at Rukia for a fleeting moment before Kyoraku gave a tremendous push that sent Yammy sprawling in the dirt with a surprised yowl. Ukitake smiled fatherly down at his injured subordinate.

"Hello, Kuchiki! You guys looked like you needed some help!" The white haired man stated cheerfully and hope bloomed in Rukia's chest, a golden feeling that made Rukia feel weightless.

"You're a big guy," Kyoraku remarked as Ukitake stooped down to help Rukia into a sitting position, cringing slightly with each wince and groan she uttered. "My name's Kyoraku Shuushi, Hachibantai **(Eighth Division) **Taichou. Who might you be?"

Yammy hulled himself off the ground with a outraged huff and glared down at the flowery captain with murder written all over his face.

"Oh, come now!" Kyoraku exclaimed when Yammy remained silent, trying to look as threatening as possible. "You don't honestly expect me to fight a man without knowing his name first?"

"You don't need to know my name!" Yammy howled and he sounded like a rapid animal.

"And why's that?" Kyoraku asked innocently.

"BECUASE I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

And Yammy charged, his footsteps shaking the ground through and through. Kyoraku sighed as though he was disappointed by how events were playing out and his hands snaked to the hilts of his zunpaku-to. "Ah well, guess it can't be helped." His eyes glinted dangerously in the shadow cast by his hat.

"Guess I'll have to fight you."

0-0-0

Hinamori was biting her. Like some deranged dog, hell-bent on protecting its prey, Hinamori was biting her. Her sharp teeth dug into Matsumoto's flesh with such force that they drew blood, scarlet and warm, running down her arm like streams.

"Ah!" Matsumoto took hold of Hinamori's hair and pried the girl and her teeth off Matsumoto's arm, and shoved her away with as much strength she could muster and Hinamori hit the ground with a echoing _thud. _And then, forgetting the crazy brunette, Matsumoto ran to her captain's side, her face losing all colour as she dropped to his side and cupped his face in her hands and saw how pale he was, how lifeless he seemed. His face was covered in sweat and yet it was cold, chilly to the touch; but it wasn't the cold that sent chills up the vice-captain's spin.

She rested him in her lap and felt around his neck for a pulse, like Unohana-taichou had taught her to do so when doubting if someone had survived. She felt a million times lighter when she found his pulse but almost immediately after her stomach twisted as she realized how faint the pulse was; it was flickering and fading fast. She cradled him in her arms like he was her son and jumped to her feet and whirled round to run out the door-

But Hinamori was there and her zunpaku-to was out. Her eyes burning with the fire of insanity, she raised her sword and screamed at the top of her voice: "Hajike! Tobiume!"

And suddenly Hanatarou's hospital room was consumed by fire.

0-0-0

_Drip drip drip..._

The sound of blood hitting the ground in a steady drip seemed to Hinata much to loud, the sounding ringing constantly in her ears like a siren _drip drip drip..._

Ichigo and Ulquiorra stood a solid ten metres or so away from each other now, and neither was without a scar. On Ichigo's right shoulder was a grotesquely shaped gash from which blood followed freely, cascading down his back like a sick crimson water fall and pooling at his feet. On Ulquiorra's cheek a deep cut bled out and it dripped onto his white-wash jacket, staining the fabric.

Their reiatsu flickered. The heat in the air seemed to be building, but Hinata was sure. Her senses were messed up so badly she couldn't tell Ichigo's reiatsu from Ulquiorra's, though at the beginning they had been clearly defined. Beside her she heard Ritsuka whimper like a wounded dog and she looked at him and blanched. He was completely colourless, whiter then white, shivering from head to toe; she could barely hear him breathing, those short and shallow breaths that clawed at his throat. Hinata felt tears swell in her eyes but she bit them back.

"R-Ritsuka-kun..." She said softly and she reached and stroked his oily black hair. He didn't react to her touch at all. "..it's okay...y-you don't need to s-stay awake...sleep.." And like a baby, Ritsuka obeyed and gave into his body's urges; his eyes rolled into his head and he slumped against the ground. His breathing levelled out and a small amount of colour returned to his cheeks but it wasn't enough to rid Hinata of her fears. She knew that if Ritsuka was forced to endure his reiatsu much longer, he would surely die.

Hinata picked up Fuyu no Tsuki and scrambled to her feet. All around her, shattered ice lay sparkling in the sunlight, dazzling the eye, and Hinata called it back in a flare of her reiatsu. The ice returned and swirled around her zunpaku-to's silver blade in a fine mist that resembled snow. She took a tentative step forward, her eyes glued on Ulquiorra's shadow-

"Hinata-san."

Hinata froze. Ichigo's voice was deadly quiet, deadly serious. And as flat as Ulquiorra's and that knowledge scared her. "H...hai?"

"Don't come forward." He ordered coldly and his eyes never felt Ulquiorra and his icy complexion. "Stay back." Ulquiorra flexed his fingers and the last ruminants of Hinata's ice broke away from his pale fingers and clapped against the grass. "He's too strong for you."

"B-but, Ichigo-san..." Hinata murmured and she glanced at his shoulder. The blood that splashed against the ground and Ichigo's torso.

"Stay back." Ichigo said again and his tone left no room for argument. Hinata tightened her grip on Fuyu no Tsuki.

"R-Ritsuka-kun is dying!" Hinata exclaimed and Ichigo's eyes finally flickered to her face. "He's dying, Ichigo-san!"

Ichigo visibly tensed and he looked back to Ulquiorra with a hard stare, which Ulquiorra returned with one just as hard. They stared at each other, their eyes sending more messages then speech every could; and the suddenly Ichigo took a step back and prepared to launch himself back into the fight. Ulquiorra stepped to the side and whipped out his blade and narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

"Hinata-san..." Ichigo said in a rising voice as he built up his reiatsu around his blade. "...take Ritsuka and run!"

And with that Ichigo flew forward, soaring through the open air, and Ulquiorra leapt to met him half way, their reiatsu mingling together in a blinding flash of emerald green and night black, blocking the sun from view-

And suddenly Hinata couldn't breath.

She was drowning; the air was choked with water. In panic she clawed at the air but hit nothing but _air_; she collapsed into heap and tried to breath but sucked in nothing but the invisible water and it filled her lungs, suffocating her...

Then she heard the howl of a wolf in the back of her spin and the water was gone. Hinata gasped and spluttered, her chest heaving and her arms trembling. She slowly raised her arms to hug herself close, trying to stop the violent shuddering that had grasped her frame. Her eyes wide and her face drained of colour, Hinata forced herself to look up with Ulquiorra and Ichigo and saw that another gaping black hole had dripped through the pretty blue sky.

And in the hole stood a beautiful woman with her arms crossed over her busty chest. Her hair was long and blond and braided, contrasting sharply with her coffee-brown skin, and she wore wash-white clothing that revealed the better half of her mid-drift. Her eyes were aqua-green and sharp and serious, and lacked any sense of emotion. Her mouth and nose were both hidden behind the folds of her clothing for reasons Hinata couldn't know, and on her back was a sword with a thick-blade and a short purple handle.

Tia Harribel was truly one of the most beautiful women Hinata had ever laid eyes on, but she was also one of the scariest. That water-reiatsu was coming from _her, _Hinata realized with a shudder, and she could practically see it, the silvery blue water coiling itself around Harribel, pressing lovingly against her smooth, brown skin. Hinata swallowed.

This couldn't be good.

Harribel stepped out of the hole and her movements were inhumanly graceful; elegant and flowing like the water she seemed to command. Her hair blew gently in the breeze and her eyes absorbed the scene, locating enemy, friends, target in a heart beat. And with a swish of her braids she was suddenly standing directly beside Ichigo, who was still staring at the portal, huge and black against the sky.

Ichigo gave a violent start when he noticed Harribel standing soundlessly beside his wounded shoulder but by this time it was too late; Harribel struck and Ichigo was hurled through the air like a rag doll and he smashed against the earth a few feet away, the ground crumbling beneath him as though made of sand.

He tried to stand but Harribel was there before he could and with a curse he quickly rolled to the side, narrowly missing being run through by her hand as she embedded it in the earth. He grabbed Zangetsu and was about to attack when suddenly a blast of bright green knocked him off his feet and into the air, sending him rolling across the grass and slamming into a tree.

He coughed and stumbled to his feet, but suddenly Harribel appeared and she punched him hard across the face, knocking him back to the ground, but unlike last time she kept attacking. Punching and punching and punching, again and again and again. And as she pounded Ichigo into the earth with brutal force, Ulquiorra stood close by with his hands in his pockets and his zunpaku-to sheathed. He watched the dust rise and consume Harribel's form before turning around briskly and strolling right up to Hinata, who was staring at Ichigo's situation with eyes filled with dread.

"I-Ichigo-san!" She cried when Harribel finally stopped and the dust appeared, revealing her sooty form and his unmoving on. Blood painted the ground, caked in his hair. Harribel stood and moved away, her half-face dreadful and her shirt bloody.

And then Hinata gasped as she saw that _other _Ichigo standing over Ichigo's body, the Ichigo with silver hair and grey skin and black and yellow eyes. He was hunched over slightly and touching Ichigo's shoulder as though checking his current state or trying to wake him up with gentle prodding; his brow was creased and he looked genuinely concerned for Ichigo's well fare.

Then the Other-Ichigo looked up and caught Hinata's gaze. They stared at each other, the shock and bewilderment in evident in both pairs of eyes. His lips moved and Hinata titled her head to the side, confused. She couldn't hear what he was saying. She blinked-

And then he was gone.

"You took too long, Ulquiorra." Harribel stated as she moved away from Ichigo's beaten up body to where Ulquiorra was standing beside Hinata. He hadn't made a move to grab her yet. "Aizen-sama sent me to fetch you. He said you may have been having trouble with the boy."

"Kurosaki Ichigo was no trouble." Ulquiorra said mildly but Hinata wondered if that was his equivalent to a heated snap.

Something flashed in the depths of Harribel's green eyes but it was gone too quickly for Hinata to identify it.

"Of course." Was her reply. "But it doesn't matter now. Let's take the girl and leave. We've kept Aizen-sama waiting long enough."

With that, it seemed, Ulquiorra could agree. In a swift movement Hinata didn't even see, he had her tucked under his arm and he was half way to Harribel before Hinata even realized she was off the ground. With a start she saw she'd felt Fuyu no Tsuki where it was.

"L-let me go!" Hinata squealed and she started to thrash about in Ulquiorra's grip despite knowing it was hopeless; if Ichigo hadn't been able to defeat Ulquiorra, Hinata highly doubted her ability to even annoy him in a fight. Ulquiorra, predictably, ignored her struggles and continued to where Harribel stood, silently watching Hinata's face, her flushed cheeks and her teary eyes, and was surprised when she felt a pang of sympathy somewhere within her.

"Hinata-san!"

The arrancar looked up and their expressions hardened. Running towards them was Junichi, Jun, Sora and Natsuko, their eyes wide with fear and concern for their little, lavender eyed friend.

When they reached the arrancar, Natsuko fainted on the spot as their reiatsu overwhelmed her senses and sent her mind spinning. Junichi's legs lost their strength and he crumbled to his knees, suddenly quivering all over. But Sora and Jun managed to keep standing and faced the arrancar with looks of sheer determination on their faces.

"What're you doing with Hinata-san!" Sora demanded hotly and she took a threatening step forward, though to the Espada she was as threatening as a fly on drugs. Though he didn't show it, Ulquiorra was twitching with annoyance and had half a mind to scare the brats away. Harribel wished they would go away because she didn't like spilling the blood of over-confident people, especially children, nor did she like killing brave people who would sacrifice themselves for their friends. After all, sacrifice was what she stood for.

"J-Jun-kun! S-Sora-san! Please run away!" Hinata begged but they ignored her desperate pleas.

"We won't let you take her!" Jun yowled and he raced towards Ulquiorra. The man sighed and put Hinata down, who was immediately grabbed by Harribel, and then he stepped forward, his reiatsu resounding through the earth. And then Jun leapt into the air and threw a well aimed punch at Ulquiorra's face, and Ulquiorra's hand lashed out, his finger tips gently tapping against Jun's chest-

"DON'T HURT JUN-KUN!"

And Hinata's reiatsu soared and suddenly all the warmth in the world seemed to vanish like snow in the heat of summer. Ulquiorra felt like ice was crawling across his skin, nipping at his ankles and biting at his wrists; he blinked and suddenly his eyes grew wide in shock.

His hand had gone _through _Jun. Like the boy wasn't even there and Ulquiorra was whacking at empty air. Ulquiorra's arm seemed to ripple and flicker, fading in and out of existence, while Jun just stood there with his mouth dropped like jaw bridge and his eyes wide as dinner plates, staring at the hand floating in his solid-looking chest. Ulquiorra recovered quickly and wrenched his arm out of Jun's chest and instantly it was solid again, neither flickering nor fading. He wriggled his fingers just to make sure.

"Ulquiorra..." Came Harribel's voice from behind him and Ulquiorra glanced over his shoulder. Hinata had fainted and lay limp in Harribel's grasp and her head lolled to one side. Harribel looked just as shaken as he about what had just happened and was staring at Hinata as though she was a venomous snake. "...What the hell was that?"

"Her ability." Ulquiorra stated calmly though his eyes stayed firmly focused on his fingers. "Aizen-sama said she had the ability to bend space and time to her will, but she has no control over it. That was an example of the power she holds."

And as Harribel looked down at the petite creature unconscious in her arms, she found herself seeing Hinata in a whole in light. A light she didn't particularly like. But then she shook herself, told herself she was being silly. She flung the girl over shoulder and straightened, brushing some dust off her knees.

"Let's return." She ordered and whipped round.

"What of Yammy?"

"The oaf will notice we've left sooner or later, and he will follow. Aizen-sama is expecting us. Let's go."

And the two simultaneously took off into the sky and entered the black rip that glinted like a black beckon in the sky. Jun and Sora stared helplessly up at the portal as it began to close, the gate-way becoming smaller and smaller and smaller until it was gone all together.

Arrancar and Hinata both.

* * *

**!I own neither Bleach nor Naruto!**

**FINALLY! Giggly chips, this took a long time to write! It was hard, too DX I wrote a difference version but I didn't like it so I scarped it and wrote this instead -_- It wasn't fun. I'll wrap up the Hinamori vs Matsumoto, Yammy vs Kyoraku and Ichimaru vs So-taichou bit next chapter. I try to keep the chapters at eleven pages maximum, cuz if I didn't I wouldn't know when to stop writing...**

**Well, Hinata's been kidnapped! And Toshiro didn't try and save her, shame on him. Will he die, I wonder, with that poison pulsing in his veins while Hinamori and Matsumoto battle it out beside Hanatarou's hospital bed? I wonder...**

**Also, I kinda forgot that Ichigo had his hollow mask out xD So I apologize if some things didn't add up properly...*shrugs***

**Well...Thanks for reading! I'm sorry for the delay, so PLEASE review! **

**[btw...WOOT! 53 reviews, yeah baby! Thanks guys!]**


	16. Chapter 16

Sunlight danced across the hard wooden floors, setting them aflame in a bright glow of orange-red. Yamamoto-so-taichou stood with his back arched and his wrinkled hands clasping the head of his walking stick firmly, and in the back of his mind he heard his zunpaku-to rumble like thunder, a deep brass-like sound in the bass of the fiery beast's throat.

Ichimaru Gin glanced out the window, his pale blue eyes catching the light and glowing like beckons. Harribel had appeared; he could feel her watery reiatsu at the very edge of his perception field. He would have to leave soon, lest be discovered.

"What do you want, Ichimaru?" The elderly shinigami repeated in his gruff voice that rebounded off the walls. It was the kind of voice that frightened little children into their beds, but also soothed them in their time of despair.

"No need to speak so loudly!" Ichimaru insisted and despite his sing-song tune he was deadly seriously about his request. "I'm right here. Let's talk with our inside voices, So-taichou."

Yamamoto grunted. "I won't ask again." His voice was still hard and rough but was considerably quieter. Traitor or not, Yamamoto still valued Ichimaru to a certain extent.

"No need, no need." Ichimaru assured him. "I'll get to it...And you don't need to worry about fighting. I didn't come here to fight the strongest shinigami in existence, as silly as I may be!"

"Get to the point."

Ichimaru sighed. The so-taichou had always been an impatient fellow when irritated. "Hai, hai. I want you to pass on a message for me...to Hitsugaya-taichou."

Yamamoto's fluffy white eye brows raised in puzzlement. "And why would you want that?"

"It'll help him with something." The fox-like man promised.

Yamamoto's eyes narrowed suspiciously but he didn't question Ichimaru's reasoning and just nodded to say he could proceed with his message.

"Tell him it's room 12-2-7." Ichimaru said and the confusion suddenly became very clear on the elderly man's wrinkled features.

"What kind of message is that? What could it possibly help him with?"

"He'll understand when the time comes-_if _it comes," Ichimaru stated with a dismissive shrug. He knew Toshiro pretty well and was almost a hundred percent certain that the information he was passing onto the white-haired genius would save him alot of trouble; and save his foot from the ache of kicking open a billion doors. Yamamoto, of course, didn't have a clue as to what Ichimaru was getting at, but Ichimaru was in no mood to explain; well, really, he _couldn't _explain, other wise Yamamoto would stop Toshiro in his tracks. And Aizen would pound Gin into oblivion for so much as being there.

Yamamoto stared at Gin. His gaze unwavering and cold as ice. But it slipped straight through Gin without leaving so much as goose bumps.

"What did you do with Sasakibe?" Yamamoto asked and his voice was deadly serious. Low and echoing through the room, bouncing around Gin's skull. His grin grew wider and his hand brushed lightly against the hilt of his zunpaku-to; and Yamamoto's grip on his walking stick tightened.

"Nothing mean." Gin teased. "He'll be perfectly fine; he just might be a little scared of the dark for a while. Nothing major." Sasakibe was a steady-paced and firm and loyal vice-captain, after all, Gin reflected; he was perfect for the old man that stood before him with the threat of murder glinting coolly in his eyes. A bit British-obsessed, perhaps, what with his love of western cuisine and British fashion-sense, but a good vice-captain.

"Now..." Ichimaru made a move to skip towards the door. "I'll be leaving-"

"Ichimaru..." Yamamoto boomed and Captain-General straightened to his full height; and he no longer looked like a helpless old man, but a tall and imposing enemy with a body toned and muscled by the gentle passing of time. Ichimaru's outward appearance didn't change but on the inside, he was squirming. His body stiffened. He didn't want to get into a fight with the so-taichou; he would undoubtedly lose, both the battle and his life, if he wasn't handled over to the Court 46 first and sentenced spend a trillions in a dank and dusty dungeon. "...I cannot allow you to leave."

"So-taichou-"

"You are a traitor. You betrayed the Soul Society and your division by allying yourself with Aizen Souske. I cannot allow you to leave!" He repeated and his voice seemed to slap at Ichimaru's ear drums. He frowned. Really _frowned, _and closed his eyes.

"I was afraid of this." Ichimaru admitted with a sigh. "But I'd hoped you'd be reasonable and let me go." And in a flash his hand whipped in and out of his sleeve and he hurled several marble-sized ball onto the ground; and they exploded instantly into multi-coloured puffs of smoke, blinding the so-taichou.

And when the so-taichou finally forced the smoke up and out of the window with his reiatsu, Ichimaru was long gone, leaving nothing but his message ringing in Yamamoto's ears.

0-0-0

_**Master.**_

Toshiro was floating. Or was he? He wasn't sure. But he definitely wasn't standing; he couldn't feel the ground beneath his feet. In fact...he couldn't feel anything. He was just...there, hovering in empty space with his eyes closed. He wasn't even sure if he had his body with him, though he wasn't sure how a spirit was able to leave its body...

_**Master!**_

Who _was _that? Toshiro wished they'd go away. He just...just wanted to sleep. Thinking about waking up, facing the world; it made his chest hurt. A sharp and dreadful pain that made him want to cry. He didn't want to wake up and face whatever caused that terrible pang in his chest, in his heart; no, it was much easier to run away. Always much easier...

_**Master! Wake up! You cannot stay here-you'll die!**_

Die? How could a spirit die? It wasn't really fair that spirits had to die. They'd already died once, after all; crushed and burned and drowned and..._poisoned._

_**Master! I'm giving you some of my reiatsu; use that to fuel your body. You must AWAKEN!**_

And Toshiro felt a great roaring in the back of his mind like a ferocious storm and suddenly he was lying on a heated floor and the air was thick with ash. He coughed and forced his watery eyes widened. He gasped and quickly rolled to the side as a metal beam supporting the ceiling came crashing down, right where he'd been lying. A razor-sharp pain shot through his stomach and he cried out in mostly surprise, momentarily curling up and clutching his stomach. There was bitter taste in his mouth, he realized. And he felt sick. Very, very sick.

With his muscles screeching in protest, Toshiro scrambled to his hands and looked around and though his vision was blurred, he was able to make out most of what was going on.

The hospital ward was on fire. Fire licked at the walls and danced across the floor and seemed to be concentrated in one specific area. Across the room there was a huge creator and Toshiro guessed it was the origin of the explosion. Toshiro reached out for the wall closest to him and hulled himself up; and his legs shook dangerously beneath him. His breathing came in short and shallow gasps that left a painful sting in his throat that only worsened if he swallowed.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply; and Hyourinmaru's reiatsu filled him. His own reiatsu was being cut off by the poison which...Hinamori...had given him. Without Hyourinmaru snapping him out of his day dreaming and giving him strength, Toshiro would've been crushed back there.

"Matsumoto!" He yelled and his voice was hoarse and clawed at his throat like the talons of a bird clawed the flesh of its prey. Tears swelled in his eyes; everything hurt _so much._ "M-Matsumoto!"

"Taichou!" Relief flooded through him as he heard the strawberry blonde's reply from somewhere beyond the flames."Oh, taichou! Is that you? Hitsugaya-taichou!"

"I-It's me!" Toshiro yelled back back and then he let out a strangled cry. His stomach began to churn and his entire frame trembled in response.

"Taichou? Taichou, what's wrong?"

"M-Matsumoto! Please hurry! I-I can't..." He could feel his strength draining away. Hyourinmaru growled in the back of his mind and flapped his winds loudly, pouring more and more of his reiatsu into his master; Toshiro drew in a deep and shuddering breath and managed to pull himself up right, though his face was considerably paler.

"Taichou! Hold on! I'm coming-"

And suddenly the ground lurched and the heat in the room doubled. Toshiro was knocked off his feet by the very sudden and abrupt shock wave and hit the ground hard on his back. His stomach throbbed and he groaned; and he could do no more then roll on his side and hold it tight, praying for the pain to reside. He gritted his teeth together and squeezed his eyes shut and sweat formed on his brow.

_I'm dying, aren't I? _He asked Hyourinmaru, who was hissing in frustration.

_**...Yes. **_The dragon answered sourly._** But I'm not going to let you go just yet! I'm going to try and keep the poison at bay until Matsumoto and Unohana-taichou can get this situation sorted out.**_

_Zunpaku-to can do that?_

_**Yes, we can. And many other things. Now, brace yourself. You're going to feel a little cold.**_

Hyourinmaru's definition of 'a little cold' was certainly a lot different to Toshiro's, because a heart beat later all the heat in his body vanished and he was left trembling violently on the heating floor. Even the insane warmth of the surrounding fire seemed unable to penetrate his skin. His face turned white and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

And then the heat returned and he let out a sigh of relief. Never had he been more grateful for heat. Grunting, Toshiro forced himself to crawl onto his hands and knees, then his feet; and unlike last time, his legs didn't rock and sway under his small weight, but rather stayed firm and solid. Toshiro could almost feel Hyourinmaru standing beside him, his icy fingers curled around Toshiro's shoulders as he offered his silent support.

_Thanks, Hyourinmaru._

When there was no response, Toshiro guessed the ice-dragon was busy keeping him alive and accepted the silence as a smug 'You're welcome'.

Toshiro hobbled forward and he raised a hand to his mouth to protect them from the thick blanket of smoke that hovered just above his head, black and forbidding and, above all, deadly. Toshiro had no idea how long Hyourinmaru would be able to fend off the poison tearing at his organs, but he was pretty sure breathing a bucket load of smoke wasn't going to help any.

Toshiro spotted the door and saw only smoking beams from the ceiling stood in his way and he quickened his pace. The fire was on the other side of the room and creeping slowly across the ceilings, nipping at the metal and slashing at the wooden medicine cases. Toshiro blanched when he saw the man source of fire was the bed Hanatarou had been sleeping in and he hoped to hell that Hanatarou was not in the middle of it, his skin melting and turning black as it peeled.

He pushed his way through the smoky mess and collapsed into the hallway, only to find it too was in turmoil. There were several craters and she each one was burning like a bone fire, bright and true, filling the hall with smouldering heat that took Toshiro's breath away. He searched for Matsumoto, even called out her name, but saw no sign of her anywhere.

"Dammit!" He cursed.

"H-Hitsugaya-taichou!" Toshiro looked up and saw Kotetsu Isane running towards him, her face panic stricken and her eyes wide, but her steps were firm and her movements steady. She took hold of the young boy's shoulder's before he could protest and put a hand to his sweaty forward; she gasped.

"Y-your fever is so high! What's-"

"I've been poisoned." Toshiro said bluntly.

"By who?" The vice-captain was asking the obvious question to ask in a situation like this, but Toshiro didn't want to say it. To answer would be admitting that Hinamori had indeed become a monster, a creature no better then a hollow; that the old Hinamori Momo had died and been replaced by a cruel and twisted and evil woman who enjoyed watching others scream and cry.

His mouth opened and closed. But eventually he mentally slapped himself and told himself sternly to stop being such a baby.

"It was...It was Hinamori!" Toshiro blurted and his eyes clouded with pain. "H-Hinamori..."

Isane's face softened as she realized his pain. She didn't understand of course, but she guessed it would be similar if her little sister turned into a raging lunatic. "Come on, we need get that poison out of you. Is your zunpaku-to holding it off?" Toshiro nodded quickly and they took off down the hall, the opposite direction to where he believed Matsumoto was. "Good. We need to hurry; they can't do stuff like that for long, even the strongest ones. Unohana-taichou is down there with Rangiku-san, fighting Hinamori-san. They'll have her soon-Hitsugaya-taichou!"

Toshiro had suddenly keeled over and was gripping his stomach so tightly in knuckles shone white; his face was twisted in pain. Tears rolled down his face as the pain became too much to bare.

Then he felt himself dropping back into unconsciousness. The last thing he saw was Isane frantic face as she realized what was happening and called out for some spare healers, who came running over immediately, their eyes widened in shock when they noticed the captain's predicament. And then sleep took him and the pain was gone.

0-0-0

"Hajike! Tobiume!"

A raging ball of fire soared through the air and smashed against the ground; and exploded in a red-hot shower of fire and flaming rocks. Matsumoto rolled out of the fiery tornado and jumped to her feet; sweat sparkled on her brow and her eyes were narrowed in concentration.

"Haineko!" She called and the cloud of ash sped past her and surrounded Hinamori as the brunette touched against the ground. Another fire ball began to build on Tobiume's blade and Hinamori's eyes blazed wildly as she glared at Matsumoto through the misty wall of ash. Matsumoto swung her bladeless hilt and Hinamori cried out as three thick gashes appeared in her right leg. Said leg gave way and she partly collapsed to the floor, blood pooling sleek and crimson around her knee, and Matsumoto advanced and she called Haineko back with her mind.

And then she was standing over the bloody brunette and she stared down at her, her icy eyes filled with past compassion and pity. Hinamori met her unnerving gaze with a wicked grin and an insane cackle, her eyes wide and pupils dilated. Matsumoto winced.

"Kill me!" Hinamori giggled. "Kill me! I don't care! Aizen-taichou will always be with me! He'll find me in the next life and love me like he always has! So kill me, Rangiku-san! Kill me! Hahahahahah!"

"Hinamori..." Matsumoto whispered and she could barely believe what she was seeing, what she was hearing. How could Hinamori become so...so _disturbed _without anyone noticing, not even Toshiro, with whom she spent a great deal of time with. How could she had fallen so far off the deep end and not acted any differently, speaking normally, happily, merrily even, going about her business with the air of someone feeling on top of the world. Matsumoto couldn't understand. Hinamori had never been a deceitful person, but then again, this wasn't Hinamori, was it? This was a crazy lady that Matsumoto didn't know.

It was only then did Matsumoto notice the ball of fire growling on Tobiume and she gasped as Hinamori slapped the blade against the ground; the fire ball exploded on impact and the two women were consumed by the fire.

Matsumoto stumbled out of the fiery mass with her arm and leg smoking slightly and bare; her sleeve and legging lay somewhere in the flames being torn apart by the hungry coils of Hinamori's fire. Her entire arm and leg ached with the pain of almost being burned to cinders, and just standing on her own two feet was becoming an effort.

"Matsumoto-san," An angelic voice said from behind her and Matsumoto glanced over her shoulder to see Unohana Retsu moving calmly towards her with a needle clasped firmly in her creamy-skinned hands. The woman's face was strangely vacant and her eyes were overflowing with sadness.

"Unohana-taichou!" Matsumoto exclaimed.

"Are you alright?" She asked and Matsumoto nodded.

"I can manage. Are you?"

"I am unharmed. Here, take this," She handed the needle to Matsumoto and the vice-captain held it up to her eyes for closer inspection; the liquid inside was a slimy green colour with a slight silver tinge. "It's tranquillizer. Stab it anywhere on Hinamori-san, and she should fall asleep in a matter of seconds."

"Thank you." Matsumoto said and she slid the needle down her sleeve and out of sight from Hinamori's fiery eyes. "Unohana-taichou, please go to Yamada Hanatarou's room! My taichou is there, and he is extremely weak because Hinamori poisoned him-"

"Unohana-taichou!" Suddenly a male fourth divisioner appeared behind the captain and with a hasty bow he launched into his message. "Kotetsu-fuku-taichou has Hitsugaya-taichou in the emergency room. He's in a critical state, taichou, and she desperately needs your help!"

"I understand." Unohana said quietly and she looked Matsumoto straight in the eye. "I trust you'll be fine?" Matsumoto nodded quickly and gestured for them to hurry; and then Unohana and the messenger were gone, leaving Matsumoto to deal with the threat of Hinamori.

And then Hinamori was there. She broke through the flames with the enraged cry of a wild animal and she sprang forward, her flaming blade flashing through the air towards Matsumoto's head. She fell back to dodge Hinamori's sword and it whistled over her head, the tip just narrowly missing Matsumoto's forehead.

"Haineko!" The form-less cloud of ash swooped in and circled around Hinamori; and she screamed out in rage and attacked the ash, swinging her sword wildly, randomly, hoping to hit anything, anything at all, and relish in its pain. But instead Matsumoto cut through the air with her hilt and the gashes in Hinamori's leg drew horribly deeper and her face was dreadful as she staggered to the side and collapsed against the wall, blood gushing freely out of the wounds and pain coursing through her body.

"Damn you..." She hissed. "Damn you...!"

And in one swift motion Matsumoto stabbed the needle into Hinamori's arm and she shrieked in pain and surprise. She whirled and jabbed at Matsumoto but the woman jumped out of the way with a simple flick of her heels. Teeth barred in a rebellious snarl, Hinamori dragged herself across the floor on one leg and the other one trailed behind her in a bloody mess. She reached out for Matsumoto with her fingers hooked like claws and her eyes sizzling with hatred. A furious and heated hatred Matsumoto had not known Hinamori was capable of.

And then Hinamori's strength deserted her and her body grew limp. Her cheek pressed against the cool ground of the hospital ward and Hinamori suddenly began to sob. Her tears were fat and silver and ran down her cheeks in rivers; her wailing choked the air.

"A-Aizen-taichou!" She wailed. "Aizen-taichou! AIZEN-TAICHOU!" _Hic hic hic hic hic..._

And then Hinamori fainted with the tears still fresh on her cheeks and Matsumoto standing over her; and her face was completely void of emotion.

0-0-0

"You can stop, you know." Kyoraku said wearily as the mangled mound of bloody flesh at his feet tried to claw its way up the slop to where Kyoraku stood, clad in his black shihakusho and white haori and flowery over-coat thing, with his twin zunpaku-to firmly clasped in his hairy hands.

Yammy had never been given the chance to draw his own zunpaku-to, which now lay several feet away, buried beneath a hundred layers of rubble. Both of his legs had been lopped off by Kyoraku's flying swords and there were a good number of bloody gashes on his torso and back and shoulders and face. He still hand his arm, though.

"If you keep trying to fight me..." Kyoraku said slowly, cautiously. "I'll have to kill you."

"I...won't...be...killed...by...you!..." Yammy gasped and his voice was barely more then a rough whisper. Kyoraku's eyes were agleam with pity and sorrow as the brutally battle-scarred arrancar continued to make his way up the slop, his arm trembling with the effort to move his massive body, despite the fact his legs were gone.

"Very well." Kyoraku said quietly and he raised his sword and brought it down in one swift, blindingly-fast movement that aimed to crush Yammy's head-

And suddenly a gloved hand closed around the blade of his zunpaku-to and he came to a dead stop.

Slowly, Kyoraku raised his gaze and saw another arrancar standing beside him, a man with a lazy expression on his face that strangely reminded Kyoraku of his own expressions when he avoided work and instead lounged around for hours on end, wolfing down cakes and chugging down tankards upon tankards of sake. The man's face was framed by thick brown hair and his eyes were narrow and stone grey. There were a few hairy whiskers on his face, the beginnings of a beard, but they didn't look in the mood to grow any further. Clad in white and a zunpaku-to clinging to his waist, Kyoraku felt it safe to assume he was working for Aizen.

"Hello there," Kyoraku said pleasantly.

Coyote Stark dipped his head and then loosened his grip as Kyoraku wrenched his sword from the man's hand and jumped back several paces and ground his feet into the earth, his muscles stiff and ready for a battle.

"Stark!" A little green haired girl with one visible bright purple eye what looked like a helmet hiding the over from view appeared by his side with Yammy's zunpaku-to held tightly in her little fingers, and she gave Yammy a hard kick in the shoulder, to which he replied with a furious yowl. She snorted.

"You're hopeless, Yammy! I can't believe you lost to him! Only a wimp would lose to a guy who wears flowers-"

"Enough." Stark said and she immediately fell silent. Then he grudgingly heaved Yammy's gigantic form onto his shoulder and limped towards the graganta that suddenly appeared near the battle field, huge and black and menacing. The portal to Hecto Mundo.

"Where are you going?" Kyoraku asked innocently as Stark threw Yammy's bloody mass into the portal with a pained groan and the green-haired girl danced in after it.

"I can't be bothered to fight someone strong like you." Stark confessed lazily as he stepped into the portal. Then the door slapped shut and they were gone, leaving Kyoraku staring at where they'd been with a slightly cheated expression on his face.

"You could've at least told me why you were going!" He yelled at the empty space and behind him, Ukitake chuckled.

"Let it be, Shunsui." He laughed and Kyoraku stomped over to his friend's side and he sheathed his zunpaku-to. "We need to get Kuchiki to Unohana-taichou. She'd about to faint."

"Alright then." Kyoraku huffed and Renji bent down and whisked Rukia into his arms, holding her tight against his chest, and she rested soundly against him and didn't complain about the closeness of which he held her. Kyoraku raised his eye brow suggestively and Renji blushed and quickly looked away, earning a slightly dazed but clearly confused glance from the semi-conscious Rukia.

"L-let's go!" Renji huffed and he disappeared, leaving the two captains and wounded vice-captains looking after him with amusement sparkling in their eyes.

"Well...that wasn't particularly pleasant." Kyoraku admitted as the four headed off towards the Relief Station, following Renji's reiatsu signature. "Why do you think they attacked?"

"Is Aizen trying to pick us off?" Kira asked and Ukitake shook his head, his long snowy hair flapping in the wind.

"I doubt it. He must've been looking for something."

"Which means he'd got whenever he was looking for," Hisagi said bitterly. "Since he called them back."

"Yes," Ukitake agreed. "That would be it."

"But what would he have taken?" Kyoraku wondered aloud. "A shinigami, for information? But he was a taichou, so that doesn't make sense, and he probably looked up everything he could in the Archives whilst faking his death..."

"The Academy was the first building to be attacked." Kira reported and all three pairs off eyes locked with his somewhat depression-darken complexion. "Do you think they were looking for a student?"

"But why?" Ukitake urged. "A student has no information or power. They would be no help to Aizen."

"Hmm...this is truly a puzzle." Kyoraku said with a heavy sigh. "Whatever game Aizen is playing, he's playing it well."

0-0-0

Hinata was dreaming. She _had _to be. But the cold grey walls felt too solid to be the mind's concoctions, the air to crisp and the sliver of moon to bright and 3D. Slowly, painfully, it sunk in that Hinata wasn't dreaming, that she was indeed trapped in a large room with moonlight dancing off the titles, setting the room aglow in a silvery light. That the huge metal door was locked shut and that no amount of wishing would open it. That the pale blue _thing _fastened around her waist was really there, pressing against her flesh and vibrating every so faintly and cutting off her reiatsu.

And slowly, horribly, Hinata realized that she was not trapped in some tormenting nightmare, and the she was truly and definitely a prisoner of the traitor Aizen Souske.

* * *

**!I own neither Bleach nor Naruto!**

**Another chapter finished! Gin's message will be made clear pretty soon, and it's actually pretty important. It's the plot message! x3 I loved witting this chapter, it was so much fun for some reason. And sorry to anyone who wanted a big fight between Yammy and Kyoraku, or a fight between Gin and Yamamoto; I couldn't be bothered with the first and Gin wasn't supposed to fight the old man, so...**

**And so Hinata is Aizen's prisoner! I've been waiting SO long for this bit! XDDDDD**

**Thanks for reading! Please, please, please review! I love your reviews!**

**Also, thank you to finaldragonquest for the 'freeze the world over' Japanese ^^ I didn't thank you the last chap, sorry~**


	17. Chapter 17

Hinata woke to the slightly blinding sheen of moonlight reflecting off the smooth floor and the rhythmic sound of breathing.

Hinata groaned softly as a small throbbing began in the back of her head and she slowly raised into a sitting position, dimly aware that she'd been sleeping on someone's sofa, and a hard one at that. Blinking, Hinata looked around the room and found it very nearly empty. There was a tiny, barred window about twenty meters above her head and watery light filtered through it; the walls were plain and a dark, depressing grey; the floor was flawlessly smooth and a little painful to look at in places; there was a tiny bed in the corner that seemed far to small for Hinata to sleep in, but it looked softer then the sofa, and apart from that, there was no other furniture. Hinata rubbed her eyes and swung her feet off the sofa and straightened her back, willing herself to wake.

"Ah." Someone said and Hinata jumped in fright. "You're awake. Good morning...well, as 'morning' as it can get here."

Hinata looked up and saw a sinister-looking man standing in the door way, clad in white and grinning like a hungry python. His eyes appeared to be closed, that or he was squinting. His hair was short and silvery, though the moonlight gave it a slight purple tinge. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was leaning casually against the wall, as if he didn't mind the fact Hinata had been kidnapped. She drew her legs back and regarded him wearily, trying to decipher he meaning behind the chilling smile.

"H-hello," She said carefully.

If possibly, his grin seemed to grow. "Hi to yerself. Yer Hyuuga Hinata-chan, ne?"

Hinata nodded slowly. Why did this person know her name?

"Good. They didn't screw up." He sounded a little surprised. "I'm Ichimaru Gin."

Hinata's eyes widened in horror. Ichimaru Gin was one of the two captains who abandoned his post and sided with Aizen Souske, the chocolate haired master mind and former captain of the Fifth Division.

Gin chuckled. "Come on, don't look so scared! I'm not gonna hurt ya, Hinata-chan."

Hinata just nodded in reply. Her throat was too dry with fear too speak.

"Okay...now, Hinata-chan, I'm gonna ask you to put that on."

Hinata followed his gaze and saw, lying on the arm of the sofa, was a snowy white outfit, strapped with black and void of stains. She touched it lightly and was surprised to find it was insanely soft, tickling the tips of her fingers and sparking the urge to smother her face in the silky material. She picked it up quickly and pulled it closer, tracing her fingers along the thick black lines and spreading it out over her lap so she could see it clearly. Hinata's cheeks flushed pink. The outfit was nothing more then a tight-fitting top that spilt apart at the end of her torso and widened to the point where it brushed against the ground a few feet away from Hinata. It left her mid-drift and legs completely bare!

Hinata turned to Gin with a fiery accusation in her throat, only to deflate when she saw there were pants waiting patiently on the arm, too, as well as some black shoes on the floor. She snatched them up and placed them by her side-

"Huh?" Hinata raised her arm and examined it. On her wrist was a bright blue band with weird fancy symbols scribbled on it, travelling around the band in one straight line. She frowned.

"That's a reiatsu controller." Gin informed her. "It stops yer from using yer reiatsu."

"What h-happens if I try?" Hinata asked softly and she dreaded the answer. Laughter was written all over Gin's face as he stepped away from the wall and gestured for her to stand. Hinata did so, albeit cautiously, and her eyes never left in and his calculating gaze.

"Try." He said simply and his arms fell limp beside his sides. When Hinata just stared at him in bewilderment, he laughed. "_Try._" He repeated. "Then yer'll see what happens!"

Hinata hesitated, then summoned her reiatsu. She suddenly felt light, felt free, like she could lift herself off the ground and fly forever, her reiatsu swirling around her like snowy mist, hugging her body and drowning her in bliss-

And suddenly her blood turned to acid; her skin was melting; someone was stabbing forks in her eyes; her skin was turning black and peeling away, collecting in a pile of smoking flesh on the floor; her throat had been slashed and blood was leaking all over the place, dripping off her front and pooling around her feet-

Hinata screamed and collapsed to her knees. She thrashed around on the floor, screaming and crying and screaming some more. She was in agony; never before had she felt such immense pain. She wished it would just disappear! It was horrible, so, so _horrible! _She couldn't breath, someone was suffocating her; she was being crushed by something hard and sharp and huge, squeezing her little body between monstrous fingers. Hinata screamed. She wanted to _die!_

And all of a sudden, the pain vanished and Hinata was left gasping and sobbing on the moonlit floor, trembling from head to toe, heart pounding against her rip cage. Sweat rolled down her cheeks and splashed against the floor, joining Hinata's silvery tears. And all the while, Gin looked on with that menacing grin plastered to his face.

Then he turned and walked down the out, pulling it shut behind him. Hinata only just heard him say "And now you know what happens," before the door clicked shut and she was left alone in her cell. Trapped in her box of pain and fear.

With shaky hands Hinata grasped the purple crystal of Toshiro's necklace, still dangling off her neck, and slapped her eyes shut, thinking of absolutely nothing but the silver haired boy for whom she cared so much.

0-0-0

_Toshiro-kun...Toshiro-kun...help me...please...I'm scared...Toshiro-kun..._

_Hyuuga?_

0-0-0

Toshiro awoke with a blinding headache and a sharp pang the base of his chest. With a drawn out moan the boy captain forced his sluggish body into a sitting position and looked groggily around at his surroundings, seeing nothing but a slush-like blur of white and black, mingling together to confuse his mind even further. After a few hard blinks, black became shinigami and white became the glinting walls and floors of a hospital wing. Toshiro swallowed and rubbed his eyes and muttered an oath unfit for a child of his age under his breath.

"Oh, you're awake, Hitsugaya-taichou." Unohana Retsu suddenly appeared in the corner of his sight and Toshiro turned to face her, slightly annoyed by the sweet smile lifting her cheeks. Toshiro grunted a good morning and winced when it only made his headache worse and began to rub his temples as Unohana sent a unseated shinigami to get some head medicine.

"How do you feel?" Unohana asked and Toshiro simply looked at her, his eyes speaking volumes. Unohana's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Not good, I guess. But that's to be expected after being poisoned. We almost lost you, Hitsugaya-taichou."

"Wonderful." Toshiro said and his voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Unohana chuckled. "In good spirits, I see. I sent someone to fetch Rangiku-san-"

"Taichou!" A busty blond charged through the ward and came to a shrieking halt at Toshiro's bed side, only to fling her arms around his neck and drag him into a bone-crushing hug. But before Toshiro had time to response appropriately (screaming at the top of his lungs), she pushed him away and cupped his head in her hands, twisting his chin from side to side and asking again and again if he hurt anywhere, if he felt something, it he was alright, and the list goes on. Her jerking of his head actually hurt more then his chest and his ears were so full of pain-induced buzzing that Toshiro could do nothing but mumble unintelligent gibberish, causing Matsumoto to freak out and demand that Unohana fix him.

"Let him go, Rangiku-san. You're hurting him." Unohana advised kindly and instantly Matsumoto's hands vanished and Toshiro let out a sigh of relief, rubbing his chin.

"Oh, taichou, I'm sorry!" Matsumoto squealed and her eyes never left the boy's face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Toshiro grunted with a twitch of his eye brow. "Just tell me what the hell happened between then and now." No need to ask what 'then' meant.

And the moment he said that an icy hush fell over the room and Toshiro blinked in confusion. He looked questioningly at Matsumoto but she avoided his prying gaze and took to staring at the floor, her upper lip quivering. Unohana seemed just as reluctant to face Toshiro and when she did meet his stare, her eyes were dull. Toshiro's frown hardened.

"What happened?" He demanded and Unohana caved.

"He'll find out eventually, Rangiku-san." Unohana told the busty vice-captain in the softest voice she could muster. "You should tell him."

The stare which Matsumoto shot at the wise captain was not a glare but something close resembling it, then with a barely audible groan she turned away and to her captain, whose stomach was now full of butterflies. He didn't like where this was going; not one bit...

"Taichou," Matsumoto began and her voice was uncharacteristically flat. And that scared Toshiro more then anything. "When you were poisoned, arrancar attacked the Seireitei. They were all of Espada level and managed to escape without any casualties. Ichigo was badly wounded, and in recovering in another ward. As was Rukia."

"Why were the arrancar here?" Toshiro asked and Matsumoto visibly paled.

She hesitated before answering. "...They were here to collect something, which they got...Oh, taichou," Her eyes filled with pity and she looked away. "They came and took Hinata back to Hecto Mundo with them."

Toshiro felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. Slapped across the face and beaten with a bat. He had heard the words, those dreadful words, and yet his mind refused to accept them. He forced himself to replay the statement over and over in his bewildered mind until it eventually sunk in, that what Matsumoto had said wasn't his ears playing cruel tricks. That Hinata was really...

"...no..." Toshiro breathed. He couldn't believe it. Didn't _want _to believe it. He wanted to think Hinata would burst through that door any minute and collapse with a relieved sigh into the chair by his bed, hugging him close and threaded her fingers through his hair. To think that she'd been _taken away..._He shook his head, his hair bouncing. "No." He mumbled and his voice was firmer.

"Hitsugaya-taichou," Unohana said gravely and Matsumoto and Toshiro both turned to face her, her eyes void and his eyes wide with disbelief. Unohana's face was dripping with pity and sadness and Toshiro's insides churned with anger. They both pitied him. He didn't want to be pitied! "Hyuuga Hinata-san _was _taken by the arrancar. Why is still unclear. As is her fate."

Toshiro tried to swallow but his throat was dry and strangely sandy. _Her fate. _Just what had happened to Hinata? The thought that she was dead, lying bloody and mangled in the featureless deserts of Hecto Mundo, made Toshiro feel hollow with dread. If she died, he would die. He knew that for certain. He couldn't _live without her..._

Toshiro looked away and stared at his hands and nodded numbly, barely aware of what he was doing. Matsumoto's hand brushed against his shoulder but his muscles remained limp and unresponsive, to the blonde's surprise. Of all the times she'd touched him without warning, he would stiffen or jump or vanish all together, appearing seconds later directly behind her with his eyes burning with anger. But now...

"The poison was cleared from your system," Unohana continued mildly. "In a few hours, you should be good to leave, but take it slowly. Your body is still recovering. Also, at nine thirty tomorrow morning the So-taichou is holding a meeting at his barracks. He expects you to be there."

Toshiro said nothing.

0-0-0

Hinata wasn't sure how long she had laid dozing on the stiff sofa but when she was roughly shaken back into reality, the sky looked as bleak and black as every, and the moon was in the exact same place, thin and pale and glowing. The person who woke her up was Tia Harribel, the brown skinned and yellow-haired arrancar who had beat Ichigo to near-death while kidnapping Hinata.

"Rise." She commanded and Hinata quickly jumped to her feet. "Come with me. Aizen-sama wants to see you."

Hinata nodded shortly and Harribel lead the way out of the room, down the corridor. Hinata felt a horrible chill travel up her spin and shuddered. The walls that rose straight and high around her were pale green in colour and the silent air was icy. There appeared to be little warmth in this world, little space for love and joy. Hinata hugged herself close and unconsciously reached out for Toshiro's necklace, squeezing the purple stone between her fists. It was her only link to freedom now and if she concentrated hard enough, she could almost feel Toshiro, his warm breath and gentle touch.

Harribel walked Hinata to a gigantic set of doors, at which two skimpily-dressed female arrancar stood, banishing weapons twice their size and revealing far too much skin, and what little closed they wore hugged their frame shamelessly. Hinata flushed faintly and looked away and tried to ignore the amused gaze they directed at her back.

"Open." Harribel ordered and the purple-haired bunny-eared arrancar swiftly kicked the door with her boot clad foot and it swung obediently open. And then Harribel marched inside with Hinata stumbling after her, shivering from head to toe.

The room that met her eyes were huge and seemed to go on forever. The walls were lined with box like seats on which a variety of scary-looking individuals perched and all were clad in the standard wash-white gab of the arrancar. One particularly wild-looking brute glared hotly at Hinata despite the grin that raised his cheeks and revealed his inhumanly sharp canines, and his vicious blue eyes seemed to burn into Hinata's skull. She squeaked and looked away and her nails tug into her arms.

Up ahead was a series of raised platforms that extended high into the air to form a stair case and on the very top sat a high-backed chair; and in that chair sat Aizen Souske, his chocolate eyes observant and his classic smile breath-taking.

Hinata's breath caught in her throat as she recognized Aizen Souske as the man that walked in her dreams, accompanied by red-hot fire and the shrill song of ravens. Her legs wobbled beneath her and Hinata gritted her teeth and desperately tried to keep herself from fainting. His reiatsu was astounding!

"Thank you, Harribel." Aizen said and his voice was surprisingly casual for someone with such absolute power. "Please take your seat among your brothers."

Harribel bowed to Aizen and though the action was brief, it was obviously one of deep respect. Hinata blinked and when she opened them again Harribel was standing on one of the box-like chairs with her arms crossed over her chest and her aqua eyes gleaming sharply. The blue-eyed, blue-haired arrancar yelped something at her and Harribel replied with a toss of her hair and a cruel mutter, but Hinata heard nothing of the conversation that seemed to make Harribel so edgy.

"It's nice to meet you, Hinata-san." Aizen said and Hinata's eyes snapped back to him and his mocking smile. "In the flesh. Walking in your dreams was becoming tiresome, as it takes a massive amount of energy to do it. I trust you weren't treated too roughly? Arrancar can be very unreasonable at times."

Hinata nodded sullenly.

"Hinata-san, may I ask you something?" Aizen questioned but he gave no time for her to respond. "Are you aware of your ability?"

Hinata shrugged. She was more or less aware that she had a strange power which she could clearly not control, made evident by Bunko and Miyuki's sudden and extremely brief passing.

"I didn't think you would. You see, Hinata-san...you have the ability to bend space and time to your will."

Hinata frowned and titled her head slightly to one side, as was her habit when confused. Aizen noticed and chuckled, fascinated by her ability to look so calm now that she was confused, when moments ago she's been white as a sheet.

"The ability to bend space and time simply means to force other living or non-living thing to do your will." Aizen explained. "You are not the only person with the ability. Inoue Orihime, a human, and Ushoda Hachigen also have the power, but neither is nearly half as powerful as you. Both need to use some kind of incantation to use the power while you simply use your thoughts and wishes change reality. In time, when you learn to control this ability, you could 'erase' people from existence, or even whole civilizations, which is something neither Inoue Orihime or Ushoda Hachigen will ever be capable of."

Hinata cringed a little and took a shaky step back. If what Aizen said was true, did he intend to force her to use her 'power' to cancel out the shinigami, his one and only enemy? The thought terrified her. The shinigami were her family, her friends. Toshiro was a shinigami. And if Aizen could some how take control of her mind or something similar, what stop Hinata from learning to complete such horrific tasks? Her eyes widened and she took another step back, another and another. She had to run. To get away. She couldn't let Aizen control her...she couldn't...

And then Hinata felt herself growing faint as Aizen's reiatsu pushed down on her, suddenly twice as strong as it was before. She collapsed to her knees and lay gasping for breath and sweat tickled down her cheeks. The blue Reiatsu-controller on her wrist seemed somehow hot and sizzled slightly against her skin.

"Don't try to run. You have no where to go." Aizen informed her coldly. "Tousen, bring her. We need to begin."

And as Aizen stood up, his movements uncannily graceful, a man which Hinata hadn't noticed before jumped down the stairs three at a time and stalked up to Hinata and harshly took her arm, tugging her onto her feet. Though blurry eyes Hinata saw Tousen's skin was very dark, almost mud-coloured, and his hair was purple and tied in several thick braids. His grey and misty eyes were hidden behind a see-through visor and Hinata guessed he was blind.

Tousen followed Aizen out of the room and Hinata was dimly aware of the many sets of eyes watching them retreat through the enormous double doors. They sped past the guards and their seductive glances and flashed down hallway after hallway, taking turn after jerking turn, and eventually Hinata had no idea where they were or how to get back.

And then they reached a dimly light room, and Hinata felt a raven shriek in the back of her mind and froze, rooted to the spot. Tousen gave a surprised start and tried to shove her forward but Hinata remained as solid as a stone. In the centre of the room was a pale grey, rectangle-shaped thing protruding vertically from the floor and hovering on its surface was a small, round object no bigger then Hinata's palm. It glowed like a thousand diamonds but Hinata's eyes were not fazed by the mystical light. No...she was _drawn _to it, but at the same time longed to get away.

"Aizen-sama, she refuses to move." Tousen reported as Hinata continued to resist his pushing.

Aizen smiled. "It's perfectly fine, Kaname. Please leave. I must speak to Hinata alone."

Tousen did not even glance at his master as he left the room, closing the door with a resounding clink behind him, and Hinata was numbly shocked by the amount of power which Aizen held over the brown-skinned man.

And it was just them alone with the shimmering ball of light and suddenly Hinata wished Tousen had never left her side. He, at least, wasn't scary.

"Hinata, do you have any idea what this is?" Aizen asked and he indicated the floating ball with a slight tilt of his head, and Hinata shook her head slowly. "I didn't think you would. This, Hinata, is the hogyuku. It has the power to great your heart's desire." He stroked the thin glass case which surrounded the hogyuku with an almost lustful light in his chocolate brown eyes. "It can, in a way, bend space and time, just as you can, only at a much greater scale." He gently trapped against the case and suddenly it was gone, and Aizen reached in and closed his hand around the shimmering orb. He pulled it out and held it up to his face and he watched the colours whirling in its depths. Then he clenched his fist with such force that the hogyuku shattered with a faint _hiss, _and the colourful fragments filled the air like glitter.

Casually, Aizen plucked one of the fragments out of the air.

"The hogyuku gave me the ability to enter your dreams, not because I asked it to, but rather because it wanted to. The hogyuku is excited by your abilities, and wishes to become one with you. I plan to for fill its wish...though, probably in a different way then it had planned." And then Aizen started forward and blind terror gripped Hinata like winter frost gripped autumn. She stepped backwards, then again and again, only to stumble and fall onto her behind with a fearful yelp.

And then Aizen was there and his smug smile filled her vision, and he lightly touched the fragment to Hinata's forehead; and in a flash, it melted into her skin, merging with her and her reiatsu, and Hinata began to scream.

0-0-0

Toshiro woke with a hoarse cry that echoed through the silent hospital.

Instantly, Matsumoto was by his side with Unohana in tow, and she studied her sweating captain with wide, worried eyes.

"Taichou? What's wrong? Are you hurt...? Did you have a nightmare?"

"I-I don't know..." Toshiro gasped. He swallowed hard and gave himself a firm shake. "I just s-suddenly hurt all over. It was like my skin was on fire...I-I _had _to scream...but it was just a dream..." He shook himself again. "Sorry for worrying you."

"It's alright." Matsumoto soothed and Unohana quickly put a hand to his forehead.

"I suggest you get some more sleep," The healer advised as she straightened and slipped her hands into her sleeves. Toshiro nodded sullenly and the two women left, though Matsumoto stole one last worried glance before vanishing through the door. Toshiro stared at the place they had been standing for what seemed like hours before letting out a heavy sigh and falling back into his pillow, and he stared wearily at the chalk-white ceiling stretching out above his head like the sky.

It had been almost four hours since Toshiro's learning of Hinata's abduction, and Toshiro had been sleeping soundlessly up to this point. He couldn't remember his dream exactly, but knew that he'd been in a great deal of pain before waking up. But...But it hadn't seemed like _his _pain. It had felt somewhat...distant. A distant pain.

He sighed again and blinked slowly. He was so tired. His arms and legs felt like jelly and he was positive that if he tried to walk out of the hospital, he wouldn't be able to stand.

_Is Hyuuga alright? _He wondered. In the last four hours, he'd thought of Hinata at least four thousand times, and his stomach churned with anxiety. He'd had a chance to think it over and had come to the conclusion that Aizen never took something he didn't need, so he had obviously needed Hinata for some part of his master plan to work, there for she was probably still alive. Just thinking that made Toshiro feel ecstatic with joy.

But what _condition _was she it? 'Alive' simply meant the mind was still functioning properly and the heart was beating in muffled support. Aizen could play with her mind, her body, her soul, all without killing her; and doing so would crush the little fragile girl, crush her and her spirit into utter nothingness. There were worst things then death, and Toshiro knew that from experience. His muscles tensed. He gripped the sheets till his knuckles shone white. He _had _to get Hinata out of there before Aizen had a chance to destroy her.

With that thought in mind, Toshiro firmly closed his eyes and let his mind drift off into dream land.

And screams that were not his own rung in his ears like a siren.

0-0-0

Fuyu no Tsuki stood her ground as the gigantic black raven fell towards her and fire danced on its wings, red-hot and growling with a rapid animal. The huge bird flung back its steely beak and squeaked loudly, and the sound carried across the landscape like a thunder clap. Snow whipped at its sooty black wings as the gentle fall transformed into a blizzard but the raven did not notice.

It loomed over Fuyu no Tsuki, and with a furious bark of defiance, the wolf charged forward and threw herself up, up onto its throat, her teeth sinking into the feathery flesh.

But the raven simply slapped her away with a beat of its wing and Fuyu no Tsuki hurled through the air and crashed against the snowy ground, her side heaving. And then the raven was there, and in one swift movement, Fuyu no Tsuki was devoured by a shower of black feathers.

_**Master!**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**! I own neither Bleach nor Naruto !**_

**Finally finished it! I apologize for taking so long, but I haven't been able to focus on Bleach nor Naruto recently. I'll try and get 18 up quicker ^^ I need motivation...they're a serious heat wave going on at the moments, and unless my hands really wanted to write, I couldn't get anything out.**

**The reason Toshiro can 'feel' Hinata's pain will be explained in due time~**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

The air outside the hospital was crisp, and Toshiro allowed himself a brief shudder as he hurried down the steps and into the street beyond. Shinigami clustered in small groups moved busily past him and the few that noticed his being there quickly put aside what they were doing and bowed deeply in respect, though Toshiro didn't really pay them any notice.

Toshiro tugged his snowy white haori closer to his body in the hope of extra protection against the surprisingly chilly winds, but nothing seemed to work. He walked sullenly through the Forth Squad barracks, and sniffed around for a hidden path around the Third. He found one and sneaked on by the Third, but was forced to tread through the Second as the muddy path came to a sudden halt in the form of a completely vertical wall that stretched up into the sky.

As much as Toshiro tried to steer his mind on to a more happy subject, all Toshiro could think about was Hinata. Sweet, kind Hinata, spirited away by the tall and brooding arrancar that had attacked the Seireitei two days prior to today. Toshiro had remained in the hospital the entire previous day, despite Unohana saying earlier that he'd be ready to leave in a few hours, because the wise healer became concerned about his mental state when he kept jolting out of sleep with a hoarse cry. A painful cry. She'd eventually sedated him in order for him to get some decent rest, and Toshiro still felt a little groggy on his feet.

He'd told her everything about the dreams; how he'd felt horrific pain and unbearable fear. But...he hadn't told her about _one _thing. In the last few seconds of almost every dream, he'd heard a voice. A distant, wavering voice that seemed to come from everywhere but nowhere at the same time, and danced around his ears like a whisper travelling on the wind. And then he'd feel pain and wake with a loud scream, and whatever the voice had said would simply erase from his mind.

It was very confusing and Toshiro didn't care to be confused at the moment because he had a captain's meeting to attend, and he had a feeling the Captain-General wasn't going to be nearly as considerate about his mental state as Unohana was.

The hall in which the captain usually met was huge and towered over Toshiro like a sky scraper. He could hear the hushed murmuring of voices within the large wooden doors and guessed that the rest of the captains were already inside. It was almost time for the meeting to start, after all, and no-one wanted to face Yamamoto's wrath for being late. Toshiro climbed up the stairs and gently pushed open the door, and found that his previous thoughts had been correct; the only captain missing was Zaraki Kenpachi, and that was probably because half his squad had gone crazy with battle lust when the arrancar had arrived, and were now missing. Either dead or genuinely lost.

"Ah, Hitsugaya-taichou!" Ukitake exclaimed and Toshiro wandered over to his side, and his face was sober.

"Good morning, Ukitake."

"And what a cold one it is! I don't remember Spring being so cold." He complained, and his eyes twinkled good naturedly.

"Climate change?" Kyoraku suggested and Ukitake blinked at him.

"That wouldn't affect us, Kyoraku." Ukitake reminded the flowery captain and Kyoraku went "Ah..." in realization. Toshiro looked from one to the other and wondered how they could be so cheerful after what had just happened. A few good shinigami had died during the arrancar attack, though none of the high-ranking officers, and several were injured, like Kuchiki Rukia and Kurosaki Ichigo. But then Toshiro realized his opinion on things was extremely biased, with Hinata having been kidnapped.

Toshiro was very quite as the captains waited for Zaraki's arrival, and when he finally did lumber through the door with a hellish fire burning in his un-covered eye that dared anyone to question his lateness, Yamamoto thumped his walking stick against the ground and immediately what little chatter there was stopped.

"The situation is grave!" Yamamoto bellowed and Toshiro felt himself being to wake up, becoming more alert, shaken temporarily out of his depression by the commanding voice of the Captain-General. "Arrancar of Espada level have broken through our defences. Soi Fon, report."

Soi Fon stepped forward a pace and all eyes instantly fell onto her small but lethal structure. "A total of four Espada-ranked arrancar attacked. Kurosaki Ichigo fought and was defeated by at least two of them, and Kyoraku-taichou and Ukitake-taichou battled with a huge arrancar named 'Yammy'. The identities of the others are unknown. 'Yammy' killed many low-ranking shinigami with his reiatsu..."

Toshiro tuned out. He knew what happened, as Matsumoto had filled him in during the brief periods where he wasn't sleeping or trembling uncontrollably or wolfing down head medicine. She'd spoken to Rukia, whom had regained consciousness before his departure, and she'd told him everything about the attack on her, Renji and two other vice-captains, all of which were in good enough shape. But then Soi Fon said something that caught his attention and suddenly he was clinging to every word.

"...arrancar captured an Academy student by the name of Hyuuga Hinata. The reason is unknown. Her current condition is unknown. That is all." And Soi Fon stepped back into the line and Kyoraku let out a low whistle.

"An Academy student? Why would Aizen want to kidnap a little girl?" He wondered aloud and he stroked the few hairy whiskers decorating his thick chin. "It doesn't make any sense."

"This is Aizen Souske we're taking about," Kurotsuchi Mayuri snapped. "He _must _have a reason."

"It doesn't matter." Yamamoto thundered and Toshiro's insides went cold. "She is no longer of any concern to us."

"But So-taichou, is Aizen took Hyuuga, then wouldn't he be experimenting with hollowfication?" Toshiro asked and he was struggling to keep his voice even and neutral. "Like he did with Hirako Shinji?" Urahara had long since spilled the beans on how Hirako Shinji and his group of hollow-shinigami had been the victims of Aizen's master plot to create insanely powerful arrancar, but he was yet to give up their location or even confirm they were still alive.

"Perhaps," Yamamoto admitted but his tone clearly voiced his doubt. "but she is out of our reach now. To go in and try to rescue her might result in unnecessary casualties and loss of battle-strength. Hyuuga Hinata remains where she is."

Toshiro eyes sizzled. "But-"

"Hitsugaya," The Captain-General boomed and his voice filled the entire room deafeningly. "I am aware of your emotional attachment to Hyuuga Hinata, but you are a taichou of the Gotei 13. My decision is final." There was a note of finality in his voice that not even the bravest of shinigami would challenge, and Toshiro was no fool. He balled his fists and gritted his teeth and glared at the ground, wanting more then ever to viciously attack the elderly warrior that stood before him with his eyes firmly closed.

"Yes, sir." He grunted.

The rest of the meeting continued without Toshiro saying a word and though Toshiro pretended not to notice, he was very aware of Ukitake's concerned glances and worried fidgeting. Toshiro half wanted to thank the man for his concern, and half wanted to smack him across the face for being annoying fatherly. He also noticed Unohana watching him wearily from time to time but her elegant gaze always left his face before he could be sure of his theory.

When the meeting finally ended, Toshiro sped towards the door, only to be stopped as Yamamoto's crackly voice reached his ears.

"Hitsugaya, wait here a moment." The elderly shinigami ordered and Toshiro's feet automatically froze where they were. He slumped against the wall and watched with open disappointment as the gigantic wooden doors slammed shut behind Ukitake and trapped Toshiro in the massive room with the most powerful shinigami in the world; the man who, at this moment, Toshiro loathed above all others.

"Face me." Yamamoto ordered when Toshiro continued to sulk beside the entrance, and reluctantly the boy pulled himself up right and walked over to Yamamoto, his eyes cold as the ice he commanded. Yamamoto sighed.

"Forgive me, Hitsugaya."

Toshiro gave a shameful start. "Wha-!"

"Unohana-taichou alerted me of your 'feelings'," Yamamoto continued and Toshiro tugged at his sleeve. "I understand how hard to is to let the one you love go."

Toshiro looked away and refused to meet the unnerving stare of the Captain-General. "She might still be alive." Toshiro hissed and his voice was low with anger. "I want to save her."

"I know you do. But you can't. She is in Aizen's hands and to go alone would be suicide. We need all the warriors we can get for the battle this coming winter, Hitsugaya; and that means all the taichou."

Toshiro nodded stiffly. He saw the logic in what Yamamoto said. Honestly, he did. But he didn't want to. For some childish reason he wanted to think Yamamoto was purposely abandoning Hinata because he simply couldn't be bothered to attempt a rescue-mission; because he disliked the girl and wouldn't mind seeing her dead; because he had a grudge against Toshiro and wanted to see him suffer. Anything. He just didn't want to believe it was the logical decision to leave Hinata with Aizen, and let the wicked man do whatever he wanted to with the lavender eyed girl...

"I'm glad you understand." The Captain-General soothed. "And Hitsugaya, I am truly sorry. I truly am."

Toshiro felt some of that childish stubbornness die inside him and he forgave Yamamoto somewhat, touched by his kindness. He had never expected the most powerful man in the after life to be...to be so empathic, in a way. Toshiro suddenly found himself wondering if Yamamoto had been forced to leave someone behind before and that was why he knew how exactly Toshiro was feeling, why he was being so patient with the boy-captain. Again, a piece of his loathing and stubbornness vanished and Toshiro began to feel guilty for becoming so furiously enraged at Yamamoto.

"Sorry for my rudeness," Toshiro mumbled and he couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed.

Yamamoto chuckled, and surprised Toshiro even further. Yamamoto could laugh? "Think nothing of it. I have more yet to tell you, though." His voice suddenly grew bitter. "Ichimaru Gin invaded my office during the arrancar attack and gave me a message to pass onto you. He says its room 12-2-7."

Toshiro blinked in confusion. "What does that mean?"

Yamamoto shrugged. "He said it would help you in the future. I don't understand it myself. You may leave."

And with that, Toshiro's feet carried him out of the room while his mind drifted away to ponder over Ichimaru's message. The numbers were what got him. He didn't care much for the 'room' bit; just the numbers. He felt like he should've known instantly what those numbers meant...those selection of numbers, perhaps arranged in a different order, meant something very important to him. Or someone close to him, at least...

Thinking hard, Toshiro let his body go where it wanted and when he finally came to, he realized he'd walked straight back into the Relief Station and was standing outside Hanatarou's old room.

The entire room, of course, was blocked off because everything within had been devoured by the ferocious flames of Tobiume, Hinamori's zunpaku-to. Matsumoto and himself had both come close to being gobbled up by the ravenous flames, and Toshiro, for a few terrifying hours, had believed Yamada Hanatarou had also been destroyed along with his room. But by some miraculous twist of fate the bed had tipped over in the blast and Hanatarou's unconscious form had rolled through the side door and into another room entirely where he was immediately whisked away by near-by healers, leaving his bed to burst into flames. At the moment, Hanatarou was sharing a ward with Kurosaki Ichigo.

Kurosaki. Toshiro hadn't visited him at all during his time in and out of the hospital bed...it wouldn't hurt to stop by and make sure the orange-haired idiot wasn't trying to get high on medicine, would it?

Toshiro went to the reception desk and asked what room Ichigo was staying in, and the kind lady in her peach-coloured nurse outfit pointed down the hall while giving him directions. He thanked her briefly and then headed off to Ichigo's room, and found that the door was slightly ajar and that he could hear the voices floating out from within.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo was mumbling and he sounded annoyed, but also a little concerned. Frowning, Toshiro inched closer and peered through the gape, only to discover Ichigo was the only person in there awake. Hanatarou was lying in a bed close by, and his eyes were gently shut and his breathing was soft and even.

"Kurosaki?" Toshiro said and as he pushed the door open, Ichigo gave a start and glared hotly at Toshiro.

"Geez, Toshiro! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Ichigo barked and Toshiro twitched.

"Again, Kurosaki, it's Hitsugaya-taichou! Honestly, it's not that hard to say!"

Ichigo rolled his amber eyes. "Whatever. Come in."

"Thanks." Toshiro grunted and he fell back in the chair beside Ichigo's bed. Toshiro considered questioning Ichigo about talking to himself but decided not to, as Ichigo would either deny it or refuse to reveal why. "So...how are you?"

Ichigo shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling. "I feel okay, I guess. Inoue came here from Karakura and healed me, you know. Ishida and Chad are with her, too. They're all asleep somewhere.." Toshiro's frown hardened. Ichigo seemed strangely distant.

"It something wrong, Kurosaki?" Toshiro asked directly and Ichigo tensed.

"...The arrancar took Hinata-san, didn't they?" Ichigo mumbled and Toshiro looked away and suddenly the fact Ichigo was talking to himself seemed unimportant.

"Yeah." He confirmed and Ichigo groaned.

"I'm sorry, Toshiro. I tried to get her out of there but I wouldn't. They were just too strong..." Ichigo clenched his fists and Toshiro could guess what was going on in the boy's mind. He was blaming himself, as selfless men like Ichigo usually did. Blamed himself for Hinata's abduction, blamed his own weakness, the fact he wasn't strong enough. Toshiro himself had a trait which Matsumoto described as annoying, to blame himself for things that went wrong, for lives lost and enemies escaping, and thus understood Ichigo's dilemma rather well.

"It's not your fault." Toshiro sighed and Ichigo looked at him surprise. "They were Espada level, after all. You would've needed at least another taichou at your side in order for you to win."

"Oh." Ichigo stared at Toshiro for a minute, his amber eyes curious. And when he spoke again, Toshiro wanted to sink through the floor. "When's the rescue mission?"

"There isn't one." Toshiro informed the bedridden shinigami in a bitter voice. "So-taichou says there's no point in going after an Academy student, especially when we'd have to hack our way through the Espada and Aizen."

Ichigo's face twisted in anger. "So, you're just gonna leave Hinata-san there! Aizen will-"

"I know what Aizen will do, damnit!" Toshiro shouted and Ichigo flinched away, taken slightly aback by Toshiro's sudden outburst. Toshiro glared furiously at Ichigo for a moment longer before realizing what he was doing, and he looked away. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Ichigo soothed. "I shouldn't have said anything."

And then they sat in a suffocating silence, and Toshiro stared at his sock-covered feet. The sandles he was wearing were a little uncomfortably, he noted. They seemed a little tight around the straps and bunched his toes together in a way that made it somewhat painful to walk long distances. Ichigo examined the ceiling and formed patterns out of the small spikes and grooves in the material and eventually created a train-track that went right across the room and snaked out the door.

"...There's another way."

"Huh?"

"There's another way," Ichigo repeated and his voice was somewhat firmer. Toshiro cocked his head to the side to voice his confusion, a habit he'd begun to pick up since meeting Hinata.

"Another way to do what?" Toshiro asked curiously.

"To save Hinata-san, you idiot!" Ichigo snapped and Toshiro's eyes widened.

"What do you mean? The So-taichou-"

"Bugger the old man!" Ichigo snarled. "He's not _my _boss, and if I have to I'll go try save Hinata-san myself."

Toshiro gapped at Ichigo. Was he seriously suggesting going against Yamamoto's orders? Following the orders given out by the Captain-General was like a second nature to Toshiro, to every shinigami; it was the first thing drilled into them at the Academy and to be reinforced after joining the Gotei 13. It was almost like their religion, in a sense. Yamamoto was god and the shinigami were his humble subjects who followed his every command without question. To go against his orders...

Toshiro shook himself. This was _Hinata. Hinata! _Ichigo was right. Who cared what Yamamoto thought? He wasn't in love with Hinata, he'd never even _met _her. He didn't know how kind and loving and warm she was, even to people she hardly knew! Resolve burned in Toshiro's eyes and he nodded to Ichigo.

"I'll help." He promised and Ichigo grinned. "But we can't do this alone. Captain-class or not, we'll need help."

"I know. Renji and Rukia will help, I'm sure, and Chad will come if I do. What about Rangiku-san?"

Toshiro shook his head. "No. I'm not dragging her into this."

"Alright. Look, Rukia's in the next room. Renji's in there with her, so go explain this to them. Renji might get Ikkaku or someone to help us out."

Toshiro began to stand but stopped when a troubling thought occurred to him. "Kurosaki," He said uneasily. "What do we do if someone we asked says no and tried to tell the So-taichou?"

Ichigo didn't answer.

0-0-0

A raven. Shrieking somewhere in the never-ending sea of black, and the sound echoed eerily around the wall-less prison Hinata was trapped in. No matter which what why she turned, all she saw was black. Just black. Going on and on and on uninterrupted by even the faintest, most pathetic scrap of light.

It was suffocating. The black seemed coil around her and squeeze her tight, crushing her ribs and restricting her air pipe. It weighed down on her like water and every step she took was a massive effort, draining every last drop of her energy. And yet she didn't sweat and she didn't pant and her limbs didn't ache. They just felt heavy, ridiculously heavy, as though she'd been running for five hours straight and had decided to take a rest.

Blinding, Hinata groped for the necklace around her neck. It felt warm, and that comforted her. The inky black world that surrounded her on all sides wasn't uncomfortably hot or cold, but it wasn't comfortable either. The air was silent. Still. There was no warmth from the sun, but there was nothing to spread the cold. There was only the necklace, and Hinata clung to that like a life line. It was her last remaining link to a world of people and flowers and snow that she seemed to have lost contact with all together.

Huddled up on the black floor, Hinata pulled herself close and pressed her lips lightly against the heated stone, and let out a shuddering sigh. The stone smelt like ice and snow and winter in general, and filled Hinata's despairing mind with images of Toshiro, and the icy dragon he commanded. Of course, she'd never actually seen it, but that was what imagination was for. It wasn't hard to think up a threatening dragon made completely of ice twisted through a sky choked with grey clouds, with its bloody red eyes glinting dangerously.

_Toshiro-kun..._

0-0-0

"How long is she gonna sleep like that?" Gin wondered aloud as the ice crept up the walls and fog danced around his feet, sticking to any exposed skin like glue. The fog around Hinata's sleeping body was so thick that Gin could only just make out her figure, clad in white and sleeping soundlessly with ice and snow forming around her torso.

Beside him, Aizen's chocolate eyes flashed. "She should sleep like that for a couple of hours. Let her be." And with that final order, the tall and imposing Aizen Souske vanished down the hall with a whirl of his white coat. Gin looked after him for a moment, before turning back to Hinata. With the fog obscuring his vision, Gin didn't see Hinata's rosy lips curly upwards in a nervous smile.

0-0-0

Ichigo was tired. With a sigh, he stared out the window and watched the sunlight dance along the silvery window sill. Toshiro had just left with a look of utter determination plastered on his baby-ish features and Ichigo was secretly amazed by Toshiro's willingness to ignore Yamamoto's orders. Ichigo had known, of course, that Toshiro harboured some sort of romantic feelings for Hinata but he'd never thought he'd go as far as to throw his rank away.

But Ichigo didn't care to think about that now. His mind was drifting, drifting to the dream he'd had earlier that morning, where the very person he found disgusting forced him into his Inner World for a heated conversation...

_"You!"_

_Hichigo stood before Ichigo with his black-nailed hands folded across his chest and his black and amber eyes glowing with intensity. They stood facing each other on the rough surface of one of Ichigo's many side way sky-scrapers, pale blue in colour, with the fluffy white clouds rolling past their shoulders. Ichigo was clad in his black shinigami uniform, and Hichigo in his white. Hichigo's face was uncharacteristically serious and Ichigo found the sight a tab troubling._

_"Yes, me." Hichigo confirmed with a wriggle of his fingers. "Look, I need to talk to ya."_

_Ichigo pulled back his lips in a snarl. "No way! Where's Old Man Zangetsu?"_

_"He's over there watching for rain!" Hichigo snapped and Ichigo followed the hollow's gaze, and sure enough Zangetsu stood on the hilt of a black sword protruding out of the building, and his misty grey eyes seemed far away. Ichigo's worry instantly eased but he wasn't ready to believe Hichigo just yet._

_"Why do you want to talk to me?" Ichigo demanded and Hichigo twitched._

_"Because something _weird _is happening, and Zangetsu figured you should know!" He spat back. "Look, that girl. You know, the girl with white eyes?"_

_"White eyes?" Ichigo wondered. Then something in his head clicked, and he realized Hichigo was talking about Hyuuga Hinata, who was the only girl Ichigo knew who's eyes were anywhere near colourless. Toshiro claimed that they were lavender, and after closer inspection Ichigo had come to agree. Her eyes were a nice shade of pale purple, though Hichigo obviously hadn't paid that much attention to detail._

_"Hinata-san? What about her?"  
_

_"When you were fighting that arrancar, she saw me."  
_

_Ichigo's mouth dropped. "What- That's not possible! You're inside here!"_

_"Most of the time," Hichigo admitted. "but not all the time. When you summon the mask, I can walk around, but I can't touch anything besides you and no-one can see or hear me. I'm pretty much a ghost, only I can do nearly as much as an actual ghost can...anyway, she saw me. I tried to talk to her but I don't think she could hear me."_

_"...So?" Ichigo couldn't understand how this was important._

_"Ichigo, are you an **idiot**?" The hollow scoffed. "Look, if the girl can see me, then it's only a matter of time before she can** hear** me. Then she'll figure out how to **touch** me, and anything you can touch, you can** kill**_._"_

_Ichigo caught his breath as the word rung in his ears like a siren. Kill! Hichigo might actually be killed! Ichigo hadn't even thought that was possible. He himself had fought Hichigo a number of times but never once had his hollow-self disappeared all together. He'd always pop up again sometime later with that smug grin stuck to his face like a poster. Could he really **die**?_

_"And if I'm killed while you're using the mask, Ichigo," Hichigo continued gravely. "then your ability to use the mask will be destroyed, and you might die yourself."_

_Ichigo's eyes widened. "I'll die?"_

_"It's possible." Hichigo shrugged. "But Zangetsu knows more about that then I do...so go ask him about it..."_

_"What am I supposed to do?" Ichigo snapped. "Hinata-san's been kidnapped by that bastard Aizen! How am I supposed to stop her from seeing you?"_

_"Go bloody get her and bring the damn girl back here!" Hichigo shot back and his nostrils flared."I don't care how, just get her back!"_

_"Why are you so worried about this? Hinata-san probably doesn't care!"  
_

_"Because, Ichigo!" Hichigo was practically screeching at his human counter part now, and then entire blue city seemed to vibrate with his anger. Cloud growled menacingly over head and Zangetsu cast them a worried glance. "She can fucking see me! And no human should be able to, alright? It gives her access, damnit! Access!"_

_Ichigo blinked in confusion. "Access?"  
_

_"Yes! Access!" Hichigo roared. "To this world, if she figures out how to! Damnit, Ichigo!"_

And Ichigo opened his mouth to speak, but Zangetsu flicked his wrist and the smooth stone beneath him gave way and Ichigo was falling, falling, into a sea of murky grey water that seemed to swallow him whole...

And then Ichigo had woken and had a short chat to himself, only to squeak in surprise when Toshiro suddenly marched through the door with a flicker of concern passing through his eyes. Ichigo mentally groaned and fell back on his pillow and he glared at the ceiling, frowning hard.

Toshiro was going to hate him. No matter what he tried to sell, Ichigo was going on this trip solely to figure out why Hinata could see Hichigo, and to stop it. To save himself. And Ichigo hated that fact. He liked Hinata, he really did; she was a wonderful little girl with a rich and cheerful laugh and warm eyes and a motherly smile, but Ichigo barely knew her. He didn't know her well enough to risk his life, to fight Aizen for her, and but he was going to do it, all for the sake of himself.

And Ichigo closed his eyes, and he tried to push aside the overwhelming disgust of himself gawning at his belly.

* * *

_**! I own neither Bleach nor Naruto !**_

**Hello again, everybody~ Thank you SO much for the nice reviews :D U have no idea how good it feels to know you like the fic. And! The heat wave is finally _gone! _We had a whole week of days in the late thirties and early forties! (not Fahrenheit, I'm an Aussie!) It was horrible! DX**

**Hanatarou's not dead. To be honest, I forgot about him xD**

**So...the Hinata rescue has started. Like when they rescued Orihime...only Orihime's gonna be fighting...maybe...May I ask, does anyone here like Orihime x Ulquiorra? I love Ulquiorra and I'd rather not kill him off, if I can help it. Also, Grimmjow will be making his first real appearance pretty soon, and he and Ulquiorra are gonna be some major characters from there, so keep a look out!**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	19. Chapter 19

The plan was simple.

Ichigo and Rukia would exit through the Senkaimon first. Jumping on his feet and slipping into his shinigami robes, Ichigo would act out a stage worthy performance of good health and athletic mastery, and with Ishida, Chad and Orihime tagging behind, he would request to return home, only to have Rukia force her way into the party and take the position of escort. She would not accept no as an answer, and, backed into a corner, Ichigo would grudgingly allow her to come along. And then they would disappear through the blinding whiteness of the Senkaimon; and they would never come back.

About fifteen or so minutes later, Renji would charge to the gates with is face twisted with rage, and he would demand they open the damn thing because he couldn't stand the fact that Ichigo was alone with Rukia. And the guards, trembling from head to toe, would hastily carrying out the powerful carrot top's request, and, thus, Renji was free.

Two hours later, Ikkaku and Yumichika would arrive with their heads held high and their zunpaku-to flashing in the mid-morning sunlight, and they would bully their way through into the real world under the guise of going on a hollow-hunting spree, with a permission form from their captain flapping in Ikkaku's grip.

And once night had fallen, Toshiro would finally make his escape. He would discard his captain's haori and replace it with a plain brown cape, meant for nothing other then fending off the chilly night air. With his face tucked deep behind the folds of his cape, he would fight his way through the guards, and though the guards were all highly trained and battle-ready, his being a captain would render them powerless. And then he would vanish through the inter-dimensional portal, and leave his life as a shinigami and a captain behind in his office.

But like all plans were, it was much easier to mumble about it in the shadows of Ichigo's room then it was to actually carry it out, and as much as discovered when Ichigo tried to put things in motion.

Four days had passed since Hinata's kidnapping, and Toshiro was a bundle of nerves as he sat in the waiting room of the hospital with Rukia by his side, and she was quietly leafing through a magazine, though she hardly glanced at the pages. She, like Toshiro, could think of nothing other then when Ichigo planned to act out his part of the plan. Toshiro cast her a weary glance, and she returned it with an icy stare. Toshiro took the meaning, and nodded sullenly. Mentally, Rukia chuckled. Since Hinata's disappearance, Toshiro's icy exterior had melted somewhat, and his more childish side was being to squeeze through.

"Kurosaki-san, please! You're not ready leave!"

The squeal of the nurse caused both Toshiro and Rukia to perk up instantly, and a moment later Ichigo came stumbling into view with a tiny female shinigami clinging to his arm, and she was wearing the peach-coloured, knee-length uniform of a shinigami nurse. She looked about to burst out into tears, her face flushed with frustration and her eyes watery with panic, and Ichigo looked torn between the urge to yell and the knowledge they had to escape without a fuss.

"I feel fine!" Ichigo snapped, and the nurse flinched. Ichigo immediately softened. "Look," He pressed and his voice was noticeably kinder. "Yuzu and Karin-my sisters-are probably worried sick about me, and dad'll go crazy running the clinic by himself. And I can stand just fine!" He exclaimed and he kicked out a leg to further strengthen his point. "I don't hurt at all." That, of course, was a lie, but it was a well done lie and the nurse's face seemed to regain some colour.

"Kurosaki-san," A sweet but dangerous voice cooed, and Ichigo froze. "What are you doing?"

"U-Unohana-san!" Ichigo blurted stupidly as the silky haired captain came into view, and she looked as cheerful as ever, with her cheeks elegantly lifted in a smile dripping with honey. But there was a darkness behind the mask, and anyone with any sense at all didn't dare provoke it. Unfortunately for Ichigo, in order to get out of the hospital, he was going to have to do some serious prodding and hope to every god in the sky that he wasn't blown to bits before he was out the doors.

"Kurosaki-san," Unohana dipped her head respectfully. "Please answer my question."

"W-well," Ichigo fumbled and he desperately tried to form an excuse. "I want to go home." Smooth.

"I can see that," Unohana informed him, and it sounded like she was talking to a five year old kid. "but I can't allow you too yet. Your injuries were very severe. Walking about like this could cause a number of organs to rupture, if you're not careful."

"I'll get Inoue to heal me when I get home," Ichigo promised. As he spoke, said teenager popped her head around the door, and her grey eyes lit up when they found Ichigo's face. Behind her came the slim and serious-faced Ishida Uyruu, and behind him was the enormous Sado Yasutora, and his Grandpa's necklace jingled as he moved.

"Good morning, Kurosaki." Ishida said coldly as Orihime skipped merrily forward with a loud "Kurosaki-kun, good morning!" and she grinned up at the tall man, who smiled down at her in reply. Sado went 'Hmm', and Rukia jumped out of her seat and darted to Orihime's side. Toshiro remained where he was and his expression was indifferent. He stared out the window and allowed his thoughts to wander.

"Kurosaki-san," Unohana said and her voice cut through the happy reunion like a knife. They all fell silent and instantly turned their attention to her. "I understand you willingness to go home, but I can't allow you to simply leave. I need to give you a check up first, and I want Inoue-san to heal you with me present. After that, and only after that, may you leave."

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak but Rukia and Ishida shot him warning glances, and he slapped his mouth shut. Though somewhat sour about the compromise Ichigo followed Unohana down the hall, and Orihime hurried after him, humming warmly under her breath.

Rukia heaved a heavy sigh, and Ishida shook his head, and his dark blue bangs bounced by his ears.

"Kurosaki...he's such an idiot!" He hissed and Rukia nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, he is."

"Hmm." Went Sado, and Toshiro was too absorbed in his own thoughts to take notice of the conversation.

Unohana, it seemed, was unusually reluctant to let Ichigo leave. After being healed by Orihime twice, Ichigo's physically strength went up, and he was very nearly a hundred percent all over again, despite being a little tired. And even so, Unohana persisted that she wanted to keep Ichigo under her care for a few days longer, and finally Toshiro stepped in.

"Unohana, I understand your concern, but Kurosaki is obviously recovered and no longer needs to remain here." He said emotionlessly, and Unohana's face seemed to harden and her smile grew somewhat strained. "You haven't got a reason to keep him any longer, and his family will start to worry if he doesn't return soon."

Unohana, trapped as she was, had no choice but to release Ichigo, and, as planned, Orihime, Ishida and Sado all left with him, with Rukia dogging along as an escort. Ichigo, predictably, complained about her being there but Rukia dismissed his protests with a wave of her hand, and they all departed with Renji watched from the side lines, and his gaze was fiery. At first, Toshiro was impressed by Renji's acting capability, but then he realized that the gaze directed after Ichigo was far to passionate to be fake.

About two minutes later, Renji let out a savage howl and stormed over to the Senkaimon, and Toshiro couldn't help but notice that in the original plan, he'd been told to wait for at least fifteen minutes before making his assault on the guard's minds and confidence. With a chuckle, Toshiro readjusted his position on the roof's rough yellow tiles, and watched in amusement as the guards scattered this way and that, and the Senkaimon gave a resounding groan as it was forced open before it was ready.

Toshiro winced, and hoped that it wouldn't make such a massive noise when he made his get away that night.

Waiting for Ikkaku and Yumichika to make their appearance was tedious and extremely boring, and in no time at all Toshiro was spread out on the roof with his hands tucked under his head, and his eyes lazily tracked the fluffy white clouds as they flew steadily across the sky. His thoughts drifted as thoughts do, and before he knew it he was thinking over Ichimaru's message.

_Room 12-2-7. _What was _that _supposed to mean? The numbers were familiar, but another then that Toshiro couldn't understand the message's significance. It was more then likely that Ichimaru was plain out messing with him, and was looking forward to some kind of rise or retaliation, but there was also the slimiest chance that he was truly and purely trying to assist Toshiro. As for the reason why, Toshiro did not know. But he was game to find out.

_Room 12-2-7..._

_Room 12-2-7..._

_12-2-7_

_12 27..._

Toshiro blinked.

_12 27._

That was a _date!_

_27, 12_

_27th of December_

It was Hinata's birthday!

Toshiro sat up with a jolt as he realized this information, but no sooner had he figured it out did Ikkaku suddenly appear by his side with a cry, and he was roughly thumped over the shoulder.

"Hey there, Hitsugaya-taichou!" The bald-man hollered. Toshiro didn't respond, as he was too busy massaging his throbbing shoulder and gritting his teeth against the pain.

"Now, now, Ikkaku." Yumichika's voice floated on the air and tugged at Ikkaku's attention, and the eleventh division swung round and faced his feathery friend. "We need to hurry. Taichou said he'd come and kill us if we weren't gone in ten minutes, remember?"

Ikkaku huffed and he rested his scabbard on his shoulder. "It's the fuku-taichou's fault for being in the way. Had she been watching, she wouldn't have been _kicked._"

Yumichika sighed, and then with a quick nod to Toshiro he shunpoed down to the gate and shoved the documents signed by Zaraki Kenpachi in the guard's face, who swallowed nervously at the sight of Ikkaku with his eyes burning with a hellish fire. And then they leapt into the whiteness, and disappeared, with Hell Butterflies fluttering hastily after them.

As Toshiro watched them leave, his face grew grave and shadows danced across his features. With them gone, he was the last one. And unlike them, he hadn't a life outside the walls of the Seireitei. He couldn't go back to Granny, as that would get her involved in a situation of life and death-and imprisonment. Hinamori was insane and was currently residing in the Relief Station, and she was bolted to the bed with the firmest and thickest straps Toshiro had ever seen.

His entire life was his career as a shinigami and if he chose to battle his way through that door after moon-rise, then he would be destroying his life, piece by piece, with complete and utterly willingness.

But he would go.

And damn his life with that final decision.

0-0-0

The sky was inky black and the stars twinkled dimly. Shadows lurked in every corner and stretched across the walk ways, wide and menacing. The Seireitei was eerily silent as light after light was blown out, and swords were tucked away in their scabbards and uniforms were swapped for flimsy sleep wear.

Toshiro felt strangely numb as he folded up his haori and laid it gently on his pillow, folded in such a way that the kanji for 'ten' faced the ceiling. He touched it lightly and wondered briefly about how his life would be after abandoning his position as captain. He wouldn't be able to return home. Possibly never, depending on the out come of his rescue mission. If he was successful and got Hinata out of there as well as some juicy information, Yamamoto _might _let him return. _Might. _But if he didn't return with some kind bait for the Captain-General, he would most likely be labelled an outlaw and hunted down. And then there was the chance he would die, and if that happened then, well, he certainly wouldn't have to worry about the Captain-General anymore.

With a bitter chuckle, Toshiro patted his haori one last time and then climbed to his feet, and crept stealthily from his room and down the hall. He grabbed a cape from the storage closest, and draped it over his shoulders and zipped it up at the neck. It was cold and he pulled it close.

As silent as a mouse, he snuck through his office, and then into Matsumoto's. He almost had a heart attack when he saw she was still there; but after a moment he realized she was lost in a deep slumber, and wouldn't have noticed his being there even if he'd been screaming at the top of his lungs. There was an empty sake bottle tipped over on the edge of her desk, and her hand was reaching out towards it as though she meant to drink it. Her wild, wavy blond hair cascaded over her face and Toshiro could only just see her eyes softly closed, and her cheeks were a little rosy.

With a pang, Toshiro realized that he might never see Matsumoto again. The thought filled him with grief, and for one horrifying moment, Toshiro wanted to cry. He coughed and gave himself a stern shake, and then, on an impulse, he reached out and stroked the hair out of her eyes. She mumbled but did not wake, and Toshiro smiled.

"Thanks for everything, Matsumoto." He said quietly. And then he dashed out the door, and soundlessly closed it behind him. Matsumoto continued to sleep, and was blissfully unaware of her captain walking out of her life.

The world outside his office was as silent and still as the one inside, and Toshiro fit in perfectly. Despite being a warrior, Toshiro had always been good at hiding his presence because of his size, and was light on his feet because of his structure. He darted in and out of the shadows in the blink of an eye, and in a matter of minutes he reached the Senkaimon, and the guards gossiped amongst themselves as Toshiro silently approached.

There were five and all were male. Three were very big, with muscles growing on muscles, and one was very small with his skin clinging to his bones, and the last was grossly over-weight and his front was covered with crumbs. The gate itself was guarded by two of the big guys, one with blond hair and one with black, and Bone-guy pressed himself against the wall and smoked several feet away. The other big guy and Fat-guy were walking along the top but they weren't really paying attention to their surrounds. Fat-guy's main concern was the rapidly emptying chips bag clutched in his fat fists, and Big-red-head was too busy admiring himself in his square mirror.

Toshiro, of course, took this all in in a second, and with a flick of his ankle he launched himself into the air. He touched down gently behind Fat-guy and smacked him hard in the back of the neck. His body gave a violent jerk and then his eyes rolled into his skull, and he crumbled to the ground. Big-red-head whirled round and his hand flashed to his sword, but Toshiro was already there, and his fist cracked against his forehead. The blow knocked him unconscious instantaneously, and with a spasmodic twitch he, too, fell at Toshiro's feet.

And suddenly Toshiro was standing between Blond-guy and Black-guy, and he hit them swiftly in the side. The wind was knocked out of both and they collapsed in a gasping heap, and Toshiro's foot made contact with Blond-guy's jaw, and he fell limp. Then he spun round and poked Black-guy in the forehead; and his grey eyes went suddenly dull and he dropped off into sleep.

Bone-man gapped in horror at the white-haired captain and rather then making for his sword, he stumbled backwards and held his arms out in front of him, as though that would stop Toshiro's advance.

"H-Hitsugaya-taichou!" Bone-guy gasped. "P-please stop! T-this is madness!"

"I know." Toshiro kicked the man in the stomach, and he keeled over. And then with a quick jab to the head, he, too, lost consciousness, and Toshiro was free to do as he pleased.

Toshiro placed his hand upon the huge pair of double doors, and poured his reiatsu inside. Without actual permission, the doors wouldn't open no matter how hard he banged on them, and the only way to force them open was to trick them with his reiatsu, which it recognized immediately as that of a captain. A Hell Butterfly fluttered to his side, and Toshiro took a moment to examine its delicate black wings before doubling his efforts.

And then doors flung open once again, and in a brilliant flash of white light, he was gone.

0-0-0

On the eve of the fourth day of Hinata's abduction, Aizen walked briskly down the hall and gently pushed the door open with an echoing _click. _He strolled purposely inside, and snow crunched loudly underfoot, and icicles glinted dangerously from the ceiling, and they all seemed to be pointed directly at his _head. _Aizen ignored their threatening stance and walked right up to Hinata's bed, which looked like a miniature winter wonder land, with her reiatsu coating every surface with a glistening sheet of ice and snow. The entire structure glimmered like diamonds and Aizen blinked as the breath-taking show of lights dazzled his eyes.

After growing accustom to the impressive glow, Aizen allowed himself a smug smirk as Hinata's appearance came into view.

She was changing.

Her skin had always been pale, but now it was chalk white, and the snow's brilliant white hue paled in comparison to the milky gleam of her smooth skin. Her hair had grown out at an amazing rate and fanned out around her torso; and it was now jet-black, and only blacker still against the frosty background. Her lips were the faintest shade of purple and were forever curved in a timid smile.

His plan was working. In the past few days her reiatsu had suddenly spiked, and now surpassed that of Yammy in his release form. Aizen grinned. His plan was working _perfectly. _Never had a plan of his run so fluidly, without so much as a single interruption. Hinata was a brave and solid girl but when pushed into a corner, she could do nothing but cower in the darkness and pray to be saved. It was meek and she knew it, but her personality hindering her progress of changing.

In this case, however...her shy personality was assisting her transformation greatly. He could just imagine it, Hinata trapped in her own personal hell within her mind, as the arrancar half of her soul seeped through her body like a disease...

He laughed, and his laugh was rich and full and mocking. Oh so mocking. He was so _happy. _In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd been this happy. If Hinata's reiatsu continued to grow more and more powerful by each passing hour, then she may very well reach _his _level. _His! _They would be unstoppable. Not even Kurosaki Ichigo, with his ridiculous mask and annoying inner fire, would not stand a chance against _two _Aizens! He laughed again and he felt the hogyuku snicker along with them, down the hall and in the dimly light chamber, hovering in its glass case.

With a single chip missing.

Satisfied, Aizen turned to leave. He felt higher then the entire world, and stronger then ever, and all those blissful emotions showed clearly on his pale face. He was yet to slap his calculating mask back into place and allowed himself their brief period of time to enjoy releasing his emotions for what they were.

"...zen..."

Aizen froze with one foot in the air, and his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Slowly, painfully slowly, the chocolate eyed man turned, and drew a soft gasp as bloody red eyes met his, and a sinister smile lifted her cheeks.

Hinata was awake.

But it wasn't Hinata anymore.

0-0-0

Urahara Kisuke's shop was small. Very small. Nothing more then a square box sat in the centre of a dusty patch of land. And as Ichigo strolled confidently up to the door, above which the words 'Urahara Shop' flashed in brilliant green kanji, Toshiro couldn't help but wonder whether the teenager had actually gone to the right shop. Urahara had once been a captain, and for that reason Toshiro had expected his home to be...more...what was the word? Noticeable, probably. He hadn't included the fact Urahara had been on the run from the shinigami at the time in his fantasises, though.

"Urahara-san!" Ichigo boomed as he rapped his hand upon the flimsy wooden door. But the moment Ichigo's fist made contact with the door it bounced, and rolled open obediently. Toshiro raised a thin, white eye brow, while, behind him, Renji made a slightly strangled noise of surprise.

"He knew we were coming, then," Toshiro reasoned as Ichigo frowned hard at the door, and his feelings were clearly seen through the mask of annoyance. "Come on, let's go."

Ichigo marched inside at his cue, and the legs of his sooty black shihakusho brushed against the cold wooden floors. Toshiro wandered in after him, with Rukia, Renji, Sado, Ikkaku and Yumichika close behind. Ishida had refused to join the group for a number of reasons, but the most important one, apparently, had been the fact that shinigami were still his enemy. Toshiro, however, suspected Ishida had stayed behind for the sole reason of looking after Inoue Orihime, whom had wanted to join the rescue party but had been firmly refused by Ichigo. The poor girl had been close to tears when Ichigo had said this so heartlessly, and Ishida had been by her side instantly. Why Ichigo couldn't see the boy's attraction to Orihime which he displayed so obviously when worried, Toshiro didn't know.

Ichigo led them to a trap door which was already flipped open, and Toshiro's scowl hardened. Urahara had definitely known they were coming, and that thought plagued his mind as he followed Ichigo down the shoot and into the hidden underground training facility, a vast desert-like plain with rocky mounds resembling rocks sticking up here and there. Toshiro touched down roughly, while Ichigo made a show of dirt clouding around him like vapour, and Renji laughed aloud as Ichigo attempted to battle away the suffocating mist.

"Welcome back, Kurosaki-san," A voice said pleasantly, and a blond man clad in green and clogs appeared on one of the many rocky mounds, and he was holding his green striped white hat in place. In his other hand he held a cane, though Toshiro couldn't imagine why. "Hitsugaya-taichou, Abarai-fuku-taichou, Kuchiki-san, Sado-san, too, of course."

"Hmm." Sado said; Rukia nodded politely while Renji just rolled his eyes; Toshiro remained silent as he hadn't the slightest idea of how to respond to someone like Urahara Kisuke, and was a little unnerved by the fact they would soon be in the came category.

"Urahara-san," Ichigo started towards Urahara, but the elderly man waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal.

"Relax, Kurosaki-san. I already know why you're here." Urahara suddenly drove his cane into the ground, and a fierce crack split the sky. It grew and grew and grew and then threw itself open, and a darkness that seemed to squirm as though alive met their eyes. They all stared at the portal with their eyes narrowed and fists clenched as they steeled themselves for what laid beyond.

"Be careful." Urahara advised, and his voice was suddenly gravely serious.

"Alright!" Ikkaku yelled and he sped forward, and he was grinning like a manic. "Let's go kill some arrancar!"

"Wait, Ikkaku!" Yumichika hurried after him with a look of distress plastered to his features. "Don't run like that! It's horribly ugly!"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Guess we should go," She muttered, and then sped after the eleventh divisioners, with Renji hard on her heels. Ichigo ran after them with Sado by his side, and together they leapt into the murky darkness. Toshiro walked calmly after them, but before he left he looked up at Urahara, who smiled fondly down at him.

"How did you know?" Toshiro asked bluntly.

Urahara chuckled. "I had my cat spy on you guys for a while," The blond man admitted. "She is very observant."

"I see." No, he didn't, but there was no point in trying to get any sense of out 'spying cat'. And so Toshiro leapt up, up into the air, and vanished through the graganta with his eyes slapped closed.

And when he opened the again, he was surrounded by a vast expanse of silvery white sand, and a sky of pitch-black and a moon of wash-white stared down at him with cold, uncaring eyes. A hollow wind whistled across the land with an eerie moan and Toshiro shivered despite the cape pulled tight against his skin.

"Are you alright, Rukia?" Toshiro looked up and saw Renji helping Rukia to her feet, and she brushed the snowy sand off her knees.

"Yes, Renji, I'm fine. Thanks."

A little further away, Ikkaku was jumping from one foot to the other in excitement, and Yumichika was commenting on how hideously ugly Hecto Mundo was, and Ichigo was rolling his shoulders as Sado lumbered to his feet, looking a little bewildered by the scenery.

"Are those trees?" Renji stalked over to a tree-like structure that lacked both leaves and colour. It was a faint watery blue, and only added to the spooky atmosphere of the realm of hollows. He grabbed a branch and tugged it, and his eyes widened in surprise as the tip easily snapped off.

"It seems to be made of out crystal," Toshiro observed as Renji turned to the crystallized twig over in his thick fingers.

"Hey!" Ichigo yelled and everyone looked to him. "Is that a building? Look!" He pointed and Toshiro followed his finger, and gasped.

If it was indeed a building, and it was gigantic. Absolutely gigantic! It resembled a huge, white dome, with several smaller compartments and towers. Never had Toshiro seen such a enormous structure. It was like they were standing a mere hundred or so meters away, but the trees at its base were near invisible, they appeared so small. Toshiro blinked. That thing was messing up his sense of scale!

"Aizen must be there," Rukia declared. "There's no where else for him to hide."

"Then we go there," Toshiro decided.

Ichigo nodded in agreement, and they set off. They ran for what seemed like a life time, and Toshiro's legs were soon shrieking for a rest, but he pushed on. They couldn't afford to stop unless they really needed to... Even so, sweat rolled down his face like rivers and his vision was beginning to blur. Panting, Toshiro risk a glance at Rukia, and saw she was in no better shape. Renji, with his longer and far stronger legs, looked a little better, but the colour had drained of his face and sweat dripped off his chin.

"Kurosaki!" Toshiro called.

"Wh-what?" Ichigo cried back.

"Let's stop! We can't keep running like forever!"

Ichigo was no idiot and immediately he skidded to a halt. And everyone else followed suit. Rukia keeled over and sucked in as much air as her lungs could possibly hold, and Renji waddled over to her side, and each step was an obvious effort.

"There must be an easy way to get there!" Ikkaku roared. Eleventh divisioner or not, Ikkaku couldn't run for so long without getting tired, but he was quite clearly in a better shape then anyone else.

"Yes," Yumichika spluttered."There must be. We all look so un-beautiful, we simply cannot continue like this."

"Yeah," Ichigo panted but he chose to ignore the 'un-beautiful' part of Yumichika's complaint. "Maybe we could-"

And suddenly Ichigo stopped dead. His entire body tensed and his eyes grew wide. Then he began to shake violently, and his eyes rolled his their sockets.

"Ichigo?" Rukia breathed. "Ichigo? What's wrong? Oi, Ichigo!"

But Ichigo couldn't hear her. A shudder rippled through his body, and for the shortest of seconds the strange sensations vanished and he was perfectly fine again; and then he felt the gentle touch of a girl's hand, softly tapping against his rip cage. And then his body exploded with pain and Ichigo threw his head back and screamed bloody murder.

"ICHIGO!" Rukia squealed and she bounded over to him and made a frantic grab for his arm, but Ichigo was no longer in his right mind. He howled and flinched away from her hands, her delicate, slender fingers capable of such a smooth, angelic touch, and fell back into the sand, screaming and wailing and crying. Horrified, Sado, Ikkaku and Renji could do nothing but stare; but Toshiro and Yumichika quickly jumped into action, and the taller, feathery man snatched Ichigo's arms before he could dart away and held him in the sand. Then Toshiro harshly jabbed Ichigo in the forehead, and suddenly he was still.

Ichigo stared uncomprehendingly at Toshiro for a moment, like he couldn't believe the boy was there, and then his amber eyes grew dull and his breathing became even. Toshiro let out a sigh of relief, and gestured for Yumichika to release him. Ichigo was unconscious, and would stay that way for the good half of a day.

"H-Hitsugaya-taichou," Rukia breathed. "What just happened?"

"I don't know," Toshiro admitted and he moved out of Renji's way as the red head dropped by Ichigo's side and tossed him onto his back. Ikkaku joined him, too, and together they lifted the sleeping boy off the ground and onto their shoulders. "But it doesn't matter at the moment. We need to find shelter, and quickly. It's getting cold."

Rukia nodded mutely.

After about half an hour of searching, they found an unusually high sand bank and made camp behind it. They placed Ichigo lightly in the shadows cast by the sand bank, and as the others prepared for sleep, Toshiro volunteered to watch and trudged up the sandy hill, and ignored his leg's infuriated protests.

Groaning, Toshiro slumped down on the edge of the hill and rubbed his eyes. They were here. In Hecto Mundo. _Hecto Mundo. _He could barely believe Hinata was here! They were really going to save her. The thought rose Toshiro's spirits, but for some reason, there was an ominous feeling of dread gurgling in the pit of his stomach. He swallowed. Something wasn't right.

But Toshiro didn't ponder on it. Now was not the time to worry about superstitious thoughts and feelings. He needed to focus on _now, _not _why. _And Ichigo was _now_. Ichigo and his sudden outburst of pain and anger. What had triggered it, Toshiro didn't have the faintest clue. Ichigo had seemed just fine before leaving. Nothing out of the ordinary. And now...

With a heavy sigh, Toshiro shifting his position in the sand and drew Hyourinmaru, and his icy turquoise eyes were alert for signs of danger.

And from the dome like building, so many miles away, crimson eyes zoomed in on his tiny figure. And her gaze was hungry.

* * *

_**! I own neither Bleach nor Naruto !**_

***sighs* I lost my will to right for a little there. I tried, but somehow nothing I wrote seemed good enough. But it came back and I managed to right the ending! **

**What happened to Ichigo will be explained~ *evil chuckling***

**Also, Urahara-san's 'cat' will make an appearance soon, and Orihime will make a come back! Both are important in the plot! As will the arrancar, hopefully!**

**I apologize for taking so long! Please forgive me!**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	20. Chapter 20

Toshiro was slow waking up the next morning.

His hair was caked with sand and his eyes watered constantly, and his throat felt like razor blades. Only after several frantic gulps of water did the pain recede. Blinking wearily, he stared glumly across the snowy white sand of Hueco Mundo and the back-drop of inky black, with a sliver of a silver moon gleaming dully in the sky.

Around him, the others still slept. All except Renji, of course, who had taken up guard duty some time after mid-night. Or at least, that's what Toshiro guessed. It was impossible to tell the time in a place where day and night didn't exist, and the moon rained supreme. He stood up and stretched, and took a great deal of time to shake the sand out of his hair. He muffled a cough into his hand, before marching up the slop to see how Abarai was doing.

"Good morning, Abarai." Toshiro said, announcing his presence to the tired red-head, whose sword laid threateningly on his lap.

Renji whipped round and his face was dark, as though he had been expected a brawl, and he visibly relaxed when he saw that it was Toshiro.

"Yeah. Morning, Hitsugaya-taichou." Then he gave a bitter chuckle and glanced at the sky. "_Is _it morning?"

"I'd rather say morning, Abarai," Toshiro told the man as he sat himself down, and brushed the sand off his lap. "it makes this place seem a little more human."

"Ah." And Renji went back to observing the motionless snow, and Toshiro followed suit. It was a big job. Guarding the tiny group against the incredible mass of sand and the creatures that lurked in the shadows took a lot out of a person, made evident by the faint bags under Renji's eyes. Toshiro couldn't help but wonder if Renji had slept at all.

A while later Rukia and the others stirred, and they all crowded around Ichigo and his firmly closed eyes. He looked troubled. A deep frown set into his face like stone, and Rukia's depression seemed to be affecting everyone. Sado stopped looking at Ichigo after a few minutes, and trudged up the hill to watch for hollow. Toshiro's sympathetic gaze followed him a way, and then Toshiro looked away and left the Mexican man to grieve in peace.

Ichigo still hadn't woken. And thus, hadn't recovered from his out-burst the previous 'day'. There had been no warning, no trace of discomfort, before Ichigo suddenly started screaming and lashing out, and crying rivers. In the end, Yumichika and Toshiro had paralysed him and knocked him out, but the damage was done. No-one knew if he would recover or not.

And Toshiro, somewhere in his mind, blamed himself for Ichigo's misfortune. It was a silly trait of his that a good number of his friends despised, but it was his trait and he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't stop the thoughts from randomly popping up. _If only I hadn't brought him along; I should've made him stay; I should've gone by myself. _Those kind of thoughts, and despite his rational thinking, they plagued his mind and buzzed in his ears as Toshiro examined Ichigo's pale face, that scolding face.

And then he twitched.

"Oh!" Rukia exclaimed and she inched closer, and gave Ichigo a stern shake. "Ichigo!"

"Sado!" Toshiro yelled to the giant man and he looked up curiously, and his messy brown bangs swung over his eyes. "Come here! Kurosaki's waking up!"

Sado was there in a flash, and he dropped down beside Rukia, and his eyes were wide.

"Ichigo?"

Ichigo let out a groaning noise, and then, grunting, he forced himself upwards. Sitting between the shell-shocked Rukia and Sado, Ichigo could do nothing but stare wearily around the camp and rub his temples, and groan into his hands.

"Gah, my head..." The boy growled.

"Ichigo?" Rukia said again, and touched his shoulder. Ichigo snapped out of his trance and looked Rukia straight in the face, and his eyes were tired. Rukia's face was pale and worried, and her lips were pressed together. Her blue eyes were big and observant, and soaked up every detail of his physical status.

His expression softened.

"Hey, Rukia," He grumbled, and scratched the top of his head. "What'd I miss?"

Rukia stared at Ichigo for a moment. And then she smiled, a kind and caring, and almost loving smile. And then, without warning and fast as a flash, she smacked the boy hard over the head, and Ichigo let out a cry of pain.

"The hell, Ichigo!" Rukia screamed, and her face was red with rage. "Is that all you have to say for yourself! What did I _miss_!"

"Rukia-"

"No! Why the hell did you have a fit, huh! What was that! Or did you just feel like-"

"Rukia!" It was Renji now, and he raised his hands in a helpless gesture. "Come on, Rukia, let the guy breath-"

"Shut up, Renji!" Came Rukia infuriated reply, and Renji fell silent. And retreated several paces. Ikkaku frowned, and Yumichika shook his head. The feathery man looked faintly amused.

But before Rukia could return to her rant, Toshiro summoned up his courage and snapped at the seat-less officer in the most commanded voice he possessed.

"Kuchiki! Shut up!" He shouted, and Rukia flinched like he'd slapped her. "You're not helping at all. Kurosaki," and he rounded on Ichigo, and Ichigo paled. "explain." It was an order, and not a single person on the planet was dumb enough to disobey an order from a irked and ill-tempered captain.

Ichigo seemed to struggle with what to say for a few moments, and the people gathered simply watched his face, looking for something, anything, though none were sure _what._

"Well..." Ichigo said finally. Rukia crouched a little lower, a little closer. Clinging to every word. "It's kinda hard to explain, so I'll just tell you what happened...

0-0-0

_The world was shaking._

_It rumbled beneath Ichigo's feet. Growling like a enraged animal, and vibration shook his body to the core. They numbed his brain, and, strangely, all Ichigo could think about was Zangetsu, and his silly rain-watching sessions. Ichigo didn't see the point. Rain would always come. No matter how hard you glared at the side-ways sky._

_"Ichigo!"_

_He knew that voice._

_It was Hichigo._

_And it was higher then usual. The fear so thick that it almost dripped off his tongue like water. _

_Numbly, Ichigo looked up. His amber eyes were dull, and Hichigo, clad in his frosty white shihakusho, stood high above him. Suspended by nothing._

_And close by, Zangetsu sat, perched upon the hilt of a deathly black zunpaku-to, and his misty grey eyes never left the figure of his counter part. But they seemed to be everywhere. Seeing everything. Including Ichigo, and his strange detachment to the world. His world._

_"Ichigo!" Came the hollow's cry again. "She's here, Ichigo!"_

"Who?" Ichigo said calmly. The building gave another sudden lurch, but Ichigo wasn't afraid. He knew he should've been scared, but somehow he just couldn't find the energy to tremble, to curse, to flee. It seemed so much easier to stand there. To let the threat pass, and enjoy the show while he could.

_And then someone touched his face._

_It such a gentle touch. So timid, so tentative. And delicate. Oh, so very delicate. Slender fingers, soft as lavender, gently stroked his face, and Ichigo's eyes clouded over. He swelled with bliss. And yet, high above him, Hichigo spat out an oath, and cried out. A warning cry. A cry for Ichigo; to run away. But Ichigo couldn't understand why. It was a sweet touch. Why run from it?_

"Ne, Kurosaki-kun, just stay here, okay?" A cute voice asked, and Ichigo was barely away of his head nodding up and down. A smile, dripping with honey, and then she was gone, and Hichigo let out an unearthly scream of pain and grief.

_Ichigo looked towards his hollow self, and saw a girl with a mane of jet-black hair cascading down her back, and her hand was buried in Hichigo's chest. Sooty black blood gushed from the wound, and Hichigo crumbled to his knees, and his head hung. His yellow eyes were wide and his body was utterly still. And his blood steadily swept down his front, pooled by his knees._

_Her laugh was like silver, chimes clinking in a winter breeze, and she placed a bloody hand on Hichigo's head._

_And then, in a blinding flash of pale purple, he was gone._

_Zangetsu stared. His eyes wide with horror. And the girl turned to him with that sweet smile, and she flashed teeth too sharp to be human. Zangetsu gaped, but quickly regained his composure. With a desperate glance at Ichigo, the spirit vanished, and thus Ichigo was alone with the pretty girl._

_She was very small, Ichigo noted. About Toshiro's height. Maybe even smaller. She was wearing white, completely white, with the most pathetic splashes of black, all in the form of lines. Her feet were bare, and her mid-section was clear for all to see. Her shirt hugged her frame shamelessly, and her insanely long sleeves washed over her tiny hands. Her skirt was short, and didn't come close to brushing her knees. She giggled. And Ichigo smiled._

_"Cute." He said dreamily, and she giggled again._

_"You're too kind, Kurosaki-kun." She purred. She sounded like a happy kitten. "Too kind."  
_

_And then she was there, with her pale hands pressed gently against his chest, and she smiled up at him. Her eyes were red, and they gleamed with an inhuman blood lust. But Ichigo simply smiled back. She was too cute to fear._

_"This'll only hurt a lot, Kurosaki-kun." She promised._

_And then his world exploded in pain._

_Ichigo screamed._

_Both inside his Inner World and out._

0-0-0

"What the hell?" Was Ikkaku's immediate response.

His blurted question was reflected on the faces of all assembled, and Ichigo shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"Don't ask." He said, and his voice was heavy with irritation. "I don't know what the hell happened, so don't ask."

"You said it was a little girl?" Rukia questioned, and Ichigo nodded shortly.

"Yeah. Just a kid. Maybe a little older then Yuzu."

"Judging by what?"

Ichigo hesitated before answering. "Her hips."

Rukia's expression was disgusted, and Ichigo immediately swapped to a defensive tone.

"Oi! Don't go getting ideas! She was wearing close to nothing! It was impossible _not _to see them!"

Renji rolled his eyes, and Sado stood up, and he was grinning from ear to ear. Relief was obvious on his features, and Toshiro couldn't help but feel impressed by his incredible loyalty and love towards his friend.

"We should go." Toshiro said, once Rukia and Ichigo had finished shouting at each other, and both were smouldering in their respective corners. "Obviously, known of us know what happened to Kurosaki, and there's no point sitting here and worrying about it."

"Toshiro's right." Ichigo decided, and he jumped to his feet. "Let's go!"

And so they set off. Rukia stayed close to Ichigo and dismissed his protests with a flick of her wrist, and Renji tagged close to Rukia, as was his habit. Sado was never far away from his life-long friend, and always stayed close. Ikkaku and Yumichika trailed behind somewhat, but they never trailed far from each other, and their usually bantering kept the two lively and ready for action.

Toshiro lagged behind.

The snowy white sands rolled like waves, and they climbed up and down, up and down. The sky never changed. The scenery never changed. The terrible, dome-like castle that forever towered over them never seemed to grow larger. They just kept running. Running, running, running.

But they didn't get far.

0-0-0

Crimson eyes flared in the dim candle light, and she hummed softly as she plated her hair, twirling it around her fingers, and she was forever smiling.

The room, once very near empty, was now full of furniture. A huge bed stuffed with feathers, and wrapped in blankets of the softest silk imaginable; scented candles sat on every free surface, glowing dimly; a big, comfy chair draped in crimson ribbons, on which she sat and stared merrily out the window; a coach, long enough to seat four men, and it was the colour of dried blood, with bright red pillow adorning each end, and a pink rabbit grinned up at those seated.

Ulquiorra found the rabbit-pillows somewhat disturbing.

The oily haired arrancar was sitting stiff backed on the coach, and his vivid green eyes drifted aimlessly around the room. Everything was _red. _Just like her eyes. It was creepy. Very creepy. And even Ulquiorra, with his emotionless exterior and unnerving gaze, was affected by the sheer creepiness of it all. She reminded him of a demon in manga, clad in leather and brandishing scythes, smirking smugly down at their screaming prey...

And _they _were her prey.

Those seven.

The boy, the captain, the fighters, the red-head, the girl. They were her prey, and she never left prey alive for too long. Already, she had hunted and killed several low-ranking arrancar, giggling excessively as they bled out at her feet. And Ulquiorra had stood by and watched, and his horror had been visible.

He had no clue as to how such a loveable girl could become so cruel.

Was this the dark side of Hyuuga Hinata, perhaps? Had that tiny, timid smile and flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes all been some sort of cunning disguise? Hiding the true evil that boiled just before the surface? Perhaps. But Ulquiorra didn't like to think of the outcome that why, and so cringed away from such thoughts, while his face remained as impassive as usual.

"Ulquiorra-chan," She said, and her voice was almost a giggle. Ulquiorra hated that, her girly voice, and the fact she called him 'Ulquiorra-chan'. He never defied her, though. There was no point. She was free now, he knew, and she would not be refused anything. Not even a simple pet name.

"Yes?"

"They're coming closer." She sounded giddy. "But _still _so _far _away!" Her voice became a whine, and she clenched her doll-like fists. She turned to Ulquiorra, and her red eyes were big. "Why are they so far away?" She demanded.

"Hueco Mundo is very large," he informed the distraught she-arrancar, and she brought her hands up to her chest. "It will take them a day or so before they can reach us."

"That's too long." She seethed.

"It cannot be helped."

"I want them to come _now!_"

"I apologize, but there is nothing that can be done."

Her face twisted with rage, and suddenly she didn't look so cute anymore. Ulquiorra quickly steeled himself, and prepared for the onslaught of reiatsu that was about to come, like whenever she threw a tantrum. Her reiatsu was incredible, and shook the building like an earth quake. If Ulquiorra didn't prepare himself for such attacks, he would surely fade away where he sat.

But abruptly she stopped. Her narrowed eyes grew wide as an idea formed in her mind. And then she was grinning, and she let out a squeal of glee, and spun on the spot, her black her rippling around her.. Then she danced across the room and took Ulquiorra's hands in hers, and he stared up at her with cold, emerald eyes, while she beamed down at him like a school girl.

"Ulquiorra-chan!" She sang. "Let's send Runuganga-chan!"

0-0-0

"Oi, anyone hear that?"

"Hear what, Ikkaku?" Yumichika asked as they topped a hill, and stared across at the forbidding fortress that loomed in the distance.

"That rumbling noise," Ikkaku continued, and he glared from side to side, as though searching for its source.

"I don't hear anything, Ikkaku-san," Renji said as he, too, searched for a sound similar to that of which the eleventh divisioner described.

"I do." Rukia moved over to where Ikkaku stood, and joined him in his listening. Together they stood and waited, and before long Toshiro blinked in surprise, and said that he, too, could hear something.

They waited.

They listened.

And suddenly the rumbling was like thunder, and it drowned out all other sounds. The sand beneath their feet shook violently, and Renji gripped Rukia's shoulder in a feeble attempt to keep her steady.

And then, with a deafening roar, a creature made purely from the snowy white sand broke free, and went up, up, up, until its shadow had devoured them completely. Hollow, blank eyes stared down at them, and a huge, gaping mouth dropped a little further, making room for the house-sized tongue that ran over them.

Toshiro shuddered.

"**Hello, intruders.**" The sand-hollow boomed. "**I am Runuganga. I was informed about your trespassing by Aizen-sama...and I will not allow you to go on any further-**"

"Getsuga Tensho!"

The ridiculously bright slash of white cut through the air like a knife, and smashed into Runuganga's enormous head. His head came apart, and the disconnected sides swayed dangerously, leaning towards the ground. And then they fell apart utterly, and became one with the sandy hills that spread around them like an ocean. Ichigo made a 'hmph' sound, and settled Zangetsu on his broad shoulders.

"Ichigo!" Ikkaku wailed. "That was so cowardly!"

"Definitely no beautiful," Yumichika added, and his contempt for Ichigo's actions was plain and open.

Ichigo twitched.

"Shut up! He was gonna slow us down, so-"

Suddenly he stopped. His eyes bulged, and whatever arguments he had prepared died in his throat. A shadow was forming, and as it stretched across the ground, it almost seemed to be _reaching _for them. And then, as one, they all looked but, their movements slow and shocked, as the sand giant Runuganga reappeared in full strength with the sand swirling around his base, and his black eyes burned like hot coals.

"**Foolish boy.**" He snarled. "**I am not so weak.**"

And then the sand beneath their feet shifted, and suddenly they were being sucked inside it like a vacuum, down, down, down, and Runuganga loomed over head, and his mouth dropped to reveal line after line of pointed, fang-like teeth that gleamed in the watery moonlight.

Toshiro gasped.

He was going to eat them!

"Dive!" He yelled.

"What! Are you crazy!" Renji hollered back.

"He's going to eat us!" Toshiro shot back.

Renji didn't protest any further, and one by one they disappeared into the icy sands.

By the time Runuganga's mouth came crashing down, they had already been gobbled up by the shifting sands of Hueco Mundo, and were out of his reach.

0-0-0

Toshiro was falling.

Fast.

Really, _really __**fast**__._

The scenery flashed by him in a blur, and no matter what he did, he just kept falling. Falling, falling, falling, falling...

_Thump._

The ground shattered into a shower of dust as Toshiro's body smacked against it, and the air was knocked out him. Pain coursed through his veins, and Toshiro lay there gasping out of both pain and need for air, and black specks danced across his vision. Something hot and sticky tickled across the back of his neck, tickling his skin, and dimly Toshiro wondered what it could be.

Through the blurry screen that was his vision, he could just see rocky ceiling, partly broken away, and all around was darkness, thick and heavy and suffocating. Creatures crept in the darkness, morphing in and out of sight, and their bloody redy eyes gleamed like fires.

And then the face of a red-haired, battle-worn man filled his vision, and Toshiro's eyes slid shut, and he knew no more.

* * *

_**! I own neither Bleach nor Naruto !**_

**Woot! Chap. Twenty! I never thought I would make it so far!**

**Thank you, readers. You've made me so seriously _happy. _I never thought Lavender Lily would be so successful. 73 reviews! *does happy dance* Your reviews gave me motivation to write, even when I felt that everything I wrote was crud. I apologize for such corniness, but I do love you guys!**

**Also...I wanna make something clear. Some people have been asking. What ever happened to the byukugan? Well, to be painfully obvious...I completely forgot about it. *face-palm* I know, pathetic. But I really did forgot. Sorry!**

**Thanks for reading! Please, please, please review!**

**[I apologize for the shortness of the chap! I'll try to make the next one longer!]**


	21. Chapter 21

Snow.

It was falling by the bucket load, and slapped at Toshiro's exposed skin on a slight slant. The snowy plain on which he stood was featureless and thus left unprotected, and suffered the merciless wrath of the blizzard full-blast. Toshiro gritted his teeth and hugged himself tightly and glared out at the savage storm through narrowed eyes.

It was _his _plain. The plain of his Inner World, lost in turmoil. The plain where he had 'died' so many times before, devoured by a flood of monstrous white waves of ice-cold snow, and he would jolt of out his sleep with a cry, and lay gasping while the ice surrounding his futon cracked and whispered into non-existence.

He couldn't see Hyourinmaru. The icy dragon dwelt within a cave built of solid ice and the paths and passages were all round and wide, and the structure itself was gigantic. It glittered like diamonds, and left Toshiro's eyes dazzled by the sight of it, even in a storm such as this. And yet, no matter how hard he stared out into the flickering white distance, he saw nothing but the blizzard. No dragons or ice mountains in sight.

"Hello, Toshiro-chama."

Toshiro jumped, and he whirled round and his hand instinctively went to his sword. And as his fingers curled closed, Toshiro found himself gripping at open air, and scolded. The sword was completely gone, physical and mental form both. Lips pressed together, he lifted his head to face his opponent with a sense of dread boiling in the pit of his stomach, and he slowly lowered his hand.

At first, he thought his eyes were deceiving him. What, with the snow firing down from the sky and the horrific cold. But as he stared longer and longer at his foe, it became evident what he was seeing was no mere illusion.

It was a girl. His height, with jet-black hair that brushed lightly against her waist. Her skin held no colour whatsoever, it was so utterly pale. The snow looked black in comparison. And her eyes. Those huge, round, bloody eyes. They burned like hot coals and the colour seemed to flow like fresh blood. Her wash-white clothing hugged her frame shamelessly, and Toshiro found himself struggling to keep his eyes in the right place, on her face. They kept trying to drop _down _a few paces.

"...Who are you?" He demanded after finally recovering from his initial shock and regaining his composure. "What are you doing here? This is-"

"Your world, I know." She cooed, and her voice was startlingly girlish. Toshiro ground his teeth together and ran his options through his head. He didn't have many, but because neither child was armed the chances for conflict appeared slime. Unless she planned to fight him with fists alone, and Toshiro doubted those scrawny arms and doll-hand of her's would do much damage. His eyes narrowed and she giggled, and it was a silvery sound that made Toshiro's breath catch in his throat.

It was _familiar._

Why was it _familiar?_

"You're so cute when you're serious, Toshiro-chama!" She giggled, and without warning she pranced forward and before Toshiro could so much as ask what the hell she was doing, her smooth arms were wrapped around his neck, and her slender fingers toyed with his silver hair.

"Oi-"

"Don't be so crud, Toshiro-chama." She breathed. She buried her head in his shoulder and inhaled deeply. The blizzard seemed to lessened somewhat, and the snow never seemed to hit them. The bullets slapped at the ground and erupted into misty powder, but hardly ever did they bash against Toshiro's skin, and it appeared to avoid the girl all together. As though the storm itself was afraid to touch her.

Toshiro, being human, had to breath, and drew in a quick, short breath. And gasped. She smelt like lavender.

"You..." He murmured, and stared stupidly at the back of her head. She giggled again and the sound was muffled by the folds of his uniform. She gently stroked the back of his neck. Toshiro's cheeks went pink with embarrassment. She nuzzled closer, and stared thoughtlessly across the barren landscape.

And then she smiled.

"You'll find me soon, Toshiro-chama," She whispered and abruptly she pulled away and stood directly in front of him. She pressed his lips against his cheek, and let out a hooting laugh as Toshiro's face went up in flames and she danced away. She blew him a kiss and winked slyly. Toshiro stared at her incredulously.

"Oi! What are you-"

And suddenly the ground lurched violently. Hands reached out from the snow and grabbed at his ankles; at his legs; at his clothes. The hands rose higher and higher, and suddenly Toshiro was being pulled under, further and further into the rocky earth. A hand closed over his mouth and twisted around his limps, and his futile attempts to escape were put to an end. He caught a glimpse of the girl, twirling around in a circle and laughing gleefully as he disappeared, but he also saw something else. A faded image of someone else, a girl, maybe, and she was sad, curled up in a ball and weeping uncontrollably. She was trapped in a faded black box, and the near transparent sides pressed against her skin and chains jingled around her ankles. She was gripped something with both hands, something small and circular and purple, and the chain it was connected to hung lazily around her neck.

_Help me...Toshiro-kun...I'm scared..._

His eyes widened.

_Hyuuga?  
_

And then he was under and he knew no more.

0-0-0

"Hyuuga!"

Toshiro shot up and sat panting with his eyes wide open, and his face dripping with sweat. For a moment, he simply stared forward in pure and horrible fear, seeing nothing and hearing nothing other then his racing heart, until his senses kicked in and he slowly came to. Gradually, the shell-shocked captain realized both his ankles and wrists were bound, and the thick, worn rope which bound him was tied to a huge, menacing rock with a smooth, grey surface. Hyourinmaru rested against the wall and appeared to be content, but Toshiro could hear the dragon roars of outrage in the back of his mind, and winced.

"Where am I?" He wondered aloud, and turned his head from side to side. A cave, it seemed, with stony walls and a relatively flat floor. There were some chair and table like structures carved from stone, with jaggered edges and dangerous curves, but usable all the same.

The air was silent. It almost seemed to hang off his shoulders. Toshiro swallowed, and he swallowed hard. He didn't like this. Not one bit. He was helpless in this position, with his only weapon beyond arm's reach; and the air settled on his shoulders like a fine mist, pushing him down.

_Thump, thump, thump_

Toshiro's eyes flared open, and his ears hunted the still air for sounds like hungry hounds, and his needs were satisfied. _Thump, thump, thump, _echoing hollowing off the steely grey walls. Footsteps, he reasoned. Human footsteps, judging by its steady two-by-two rhythm. Left then right, left then right. Toshiro tensed his body and searched the room with his eyes. He couldn't see any clear entrance, but he noticed that the cave seemed to curve into a rough bend. The 'thing' was walking down the corridor, walking right towards _him._

And then 'it' appeared.

Toshiro's eyes widened in horror.

It was an _arrancar!_

A man clad in the jet-black attire of the shinigami strolled into the room. The monster paused in the centre of the dimly lit room, and the empty black sockets of his bleach-white mask stared blankly out at the former captain. It looked like the skull of some sort of large cow or goat, with its huge glinting horns curving sharply towards the ceiling, and its narrow, chipped muzzle ending in a smooth, fine point. At his waist was a sword, and the scabbard hugged the blade, showing off its battle worn exterior. The arrancar was tall and his shoulders were board and muscular. He looked in his early-mid twenties, but Toshiro couldn't be sure until his face was revealed. Not that it _could _be revealed.

Toshiro glared at the arrancar. "Where am I, arrancar?" He demanded, and his voice was harsh. The arrancar stared back at him. He almost seemed to be assessing him. And then, wordlessly, he reached out and tugged his mask away.

Toshiro gasped.

It wasn't an arrancar at all, but a man with a head of messy red hair, and calm, collected aqua eyes. Definitely in his early twenties, Toshiro decided, if the rough cheek bones and narrow eyes were anything to go by.

"My cave," The man said, and his voice was as flat as his expression. One of lifeless vacancy. Unfeeling eyes, void of emotion. It was kind of creepy. "My name is Kano Ashido. I found you in the Forest."

"Why am I tied up?" Toshiro asked, and he eyed this Ashido character wearily.

"I wasn't sure if you were a shinigami or not," Ashido explained, and he pulled a knife from his sleeve. It glinted threateningly in the silvery light that reflected off the smooth rock, and Toshiro's eyes never left the blade, even as Ashido knelt to cut through his bonds. "some arrancar have the ability to change form to a certain level or another. I wanted to be careful."

"I see," Toshiro rubbed his wrists as Ashido grabbed Hyourinmaru, and tossed him over to the white-haired boy. Toshiro caught it firmly in his hand, and flinched slightly at the faint throb in his wrist. "You're a shinigami?"

"Yes," Ashido confirmed. He sat down in one of those chair-like carvings, and sniffed around in his shihakusho for something to eat. Eventually, he found a hand full of nuts wrapped carefully in a bag of black cloth, and he popped on in his mouth. "Are you hungry?"

"No. Thanks for offering, though."

Ashido did not reply, but instead continued to chew on his nuts, almost thoughtful as his jaw moved up and down. His eyes were blank. Toshiro shifted anxiously on the dusty floor. The silent was somewhat oppressing.

"Why are you down here?" He asked finally, when he could stand the dreadful silence no longer. "You're a shinigami, so why are you not at the Seireitei?"

Suddenly, Ashido's eyes grew dark and distant, and Toshiro mentally cringed. He was treading on thin ice. Perhaps he shouldn't have asked? Toshiro, out of options, chose simply to remain silent, and let Ashido decide the outcome of the conversation, with his thin, red eye brows furrowed and his mouth a hard, straight line, seemingly etched in stone.

And then, surprisingly, Ashido answered.

"Almost a hundred years ago, hollow infuriated the Seireitei." He explained, and his voice was sober. "My companions and myself chased them back to Hueco Mundo, but one by one they were picked off. I was the only one that survived."

Toshiro's eyes widened in horror and disbelief. He had never heard of this before. Surely, Yamamoto would've known about Ashido and his brace comrades, and their successful attack that drove the hollows back to their own land. Why had no-one told him? It couldn't have been dismissed as nothing important!...Right?

Frowning, Toshiro nodded in acknowledgement, and went back to massaging his wrists.

"You should eat," Ashido said after a time.

"I already said I'm not hungry," Toshiro insisted, re-enforcing his earlier argument.

But Ashido shook his head, and his dirty red bangs shifted by his ears, and he jumped up and wandered away. His feet swept over the rocky floor and barely made a sound. Toshiro considered asking where he was going, but decided to keep silent. He was still in Hueco Mundo despite all appearance. Nobody just walked off, lest they become dinner for a hungry hollow. And this was Ashido's home, made evident by the furniture and his casual (well, semi-casual) way of moving about it. He wouldn't just _leave._

Ashido returned, and held between his rough fingers he carried stale bread. Toshiro's frown persisted and Ashido remained impressive, and shoved the food into Toshiro's hands before he could protest.

"I'm not hungry," Toshiro repeated as Ashido sat down, and returned to his foul-looking nuts. Ashido was openly ignoring him. Toshiro twitched. "Listen!" he snapped.

"You must eat." Ashido commanded. "You will die if you do not eat."

Toshiro twitched again, but saw the logic in what the carrot-top said. Grumbling, he buried his teeth into the stiff surface and ripped it away, and chewed sullenly. It crunched loudly between his teeth, and worked like glue, sticking to the roof of his mouth. Ashido continued to slowly devour his hoard of nuts, and pointedly ignored Toshiro's frosty, prodding gaze.

"Kano," Toshiro said after a time, and he'd finished to swallow the tough bread. "this is Hueco Mundo, correct?"

"Yes."

"And if I recall correctly, we should be below the sand?"

"Yes."

"So...what is this place, exactly?"

Ashido nodded as though he'd been waiting for Toshiro to ask that very question, and he quickly stood and ushered Toshiro towards the cave mouth. It was tiny. Very nearly invisible in the jaggered folds of the cliff face, but Ashido managed to squeeze through, and Toshiro darted after him. Small as he was, wriggling through was easy. They walked out onto a small ledge just big enough for the two to stand together at a comfortable distance. Toshiro's body went rigid as he stared out, unblinking, at the scenery sprawled out before him.

He was in a forest.

But not just any forest.

There were no trees here. Just glinting columns of silvery crystal that twisted their way towards the surface, and drilled up and out through the hard rocky roof. Bathed in shadows was the forest floor, and it was completely void of vegetation. The smooth marble surface stretched on forever, and rocks leapt out and jerked towards the unseen sky, like hands reaching out, up towards the heavens. And then there was the moaning; the moaning of hollows as they sulked amongst the stones, and the monstrous, echoing steps of the Menos Grande as they dragged their heavy white feet across the ground, and their bead red eyes burned with a wild, forever-unsatisfied hunger.

Toshiro gaped.

"This is the _Menosu no mori_," Ashido explained emotionlessly as he gazed out across the stark landscape, and his face was indifferent. This, too him, was home "Forest of Menos."

"Incredible." Toshiro gasped. He'd never seen anything like it in his entire life as a shinigami.

Ashido just hummed softly in response.

0-0-0

Rukia was bleeding.

It was her hip. The blood was fresh and dark, and ran warm and slick down her side. Her blue eyes sizzled, and her entire frame shuddered as the hollow charged towards her with a blood-thirsty roar; and, ignoring the searing pain that burned in her side, Rukia launched herself into the air. With a hard flick of her wrist and a cry, she slit the beast's mask open with her katana, and the cracks, huge, gaping and black, sped across the bleach-white surface, and then it was gone.

As Rukia touched against the ground, Ikkaku came bounding into view, and his face was alive with glee. The hollows fled from his bloody blade, but the man was too fast, and one hollow after another was cut down with a magnificent swipe of his Houzukimaru. Yumichika danced after him, and his four-bladed sword flashed, and the hollow's body fell limp and smouldering against the colourless earth.

Ichigo roared, and Getsuga Tensho slashed through the ceiling, and silvery sand poured in like flood waters, and the hollows were devoured by its rushing currents. Sado's face darkened with concentration as he balled his fist and sent another fiery blue ball soaring through the still air, and it smashed against the unsuspecting hollow, who disappeared. Renji laughed a hooting laugh as Zabimaru cut through the air like a knife through butter, and the hollow shrieked with fear and rage as the steely grey blade dug through their masks, and they blurred out of existence, and were carried by waters unseen to begin another.

"Everybody okay!" Ichigo demanded as his feet skidded harshly against the floor, and everyone but Rukia nodded in confirmation. Rukia hobbled over with a hand to her side, and already her reiatsu was eating the wound away, and her flesh was re-forming.

"Rukia!" Ichigo exclaimed, and he rushed over. "You alright!"

"Yes, you fool," Rukia snapped, but she couldn't help but feel secretly pleased by his concern for her well being. He was such a caring young boy. "it's only a small wound. It'll be gone in a moment." Even as she said the words, the cut vanished, and Rukia clapped her hands together with a smirk. Watching Ichigo's face, Rukia felt smug. He sucked controlling his reiatsu. He didn't even _understand _how you were suppose to use it to heal yourself using it! Idiot.

"Where are we?" Renji wondered, and he stared around in open amazement at the vastness of the place. Ikkaku scoffed.

"Who cares?" The bald man yelled. "There's heaps of hollow here! Many great battles to be had!"

"Calm down, Ikkaku," Yumichika advised gently, smiling. "it's not beautiful to rush into things."

"Where's Hitsugaya-taichou?" Rukia asked as her violet eyes flickered from once face to the next. She saw no boy with spiky white hair and icy turquoise eyes. She thrust her reiatsu outwards, stretching and stretching and stretching, but she found nothing but the barely-there reiatsu of low-level hollows, hiding themselves amongst the crumbling stones of the battle field, terrified of being killed.

"Yeah, where _is _Toshiro?" Ichigo wondered as he, too, noticed the boy's sudden disappearance. Engrossed in fighting as he had been, he hadn't had the time to take everybody's being there into account. But now he clearly saw that Toshiro was gone. And fear began to bubble in his stomach.

"I can't feel his reiatsu," Rukia reported.

Now everyone was looking round, and one by one they began to fight off panic. They were lost in this unknown and hostile land of hollows, and now Toshiro was gone. If he was conscious, he was definitely off fighting hollows; but if he _wasn't _conscious, then it was only a matter of time before he was _eaten._

"We've gotta find him!" Renji looked around wildly. "Which way should we go?"

"Who's to say?" Yumichika said mildly. "There's no telling where he might be."

"Then," Ichigo scratched the top of his head and frowned. "what should we do-"

Ichigo's musing was cut off by a shrill shriek, and no sooner had the sound reached there ears did a child clad in a dragging green rag stumbling into view, with an army of ravenous hollows surging after her like a tsunami, hungry for blood. The child was screaming at the top of her lungs, and was running as fast as her tiny legs could carry her.

"A child!" Rukia gasped.

"Come on!" Ichigo grew Zangetsu and bounded off the ledge, and the others hurried after him. The child cried out in shocked pain as she tumbled over, her foot caught on a lose stone, and she sprawled against the white dust, and lay coughing as the hollows closed in.

"Some no mai, Tsukishiro!"

In a flash of winter white, several of the hollows were devoured by Rukia's ice, and it gleamed like diamonds in the dim lighting as Ichigo's huge sword swung down, and another hollow was destroyed. Sado fired a reiatsu ball, and Renji sent Zabimaru speeding through the air like a snake. Ikkaku roared with laughter as he ran towards the hollow with his head held high, and Yumichika skipped after him with his purple eyes sparkling.

Within minutes, the hollows chasing the child were eliminated. Rukia hurried to the kid's side while Ichigo and Renji chased the few remaining off into the cliffs, and Ikkaku did his Lucky-Lucky dance in the corner with Yumichika shaking his head. Sado observed awkwardly.

"Are you alright?" Rukia asked seriously, and she tugged the hod off the girl's head-

She gasped.

The girl had big, droopy eyes and a head of curly aqua hair, barely long enough to brush against her neck. There was a thick red mark riding the bridge of her nose, and it closely resembled something like a splat of red paint. Her nose was running and her lips were quivering and her eyes were watering. But what really got Rukia's attention was the bleach-white mask stuck to the child's head. It looked like the head of a ram, with the curving horns made of round ring-like folds, but it was marred by a deep black crack that stretched from the muzzle to the other side.

"Th-thank you for saving Nel!" The girl squealed, and Rukia blinked herself back into reality.

"Ah...It's perfectly alright. Do you feel any pain?" Rukia asked seriously. Now was not the time to be worrying about the mask.

The child, Nel, shook her head. "Nope."

"Good."

"Hey, hey, miss, have you seen two hollow?" Nel asked, and she sounded a little desperate. "One's really thin with an ant mask and he's names Pesche and one's really big with a _huge _mask and eyes and he's names Dondochakka! They Nel's brothers, they are!"

Rukia's frown hardened. So the child _wa_s an arrancar! But...she didn't seem dangerous. Surely, not to them, having been running from hollows so low in the ranks.

"No, I'm sorry," Rukia said, and Nel hung her head in defeat. "I haven't seen any hollow like that."

"Oh, Pesche! Dondochakka!" Nel wailed. "Are you alright? Where are you now?" She looked on the verge of tears, and Rukia could do nothing less but gather the girl in her arms and stroke whatever hair she could while Nel struggled to hold back tears.

"That's the last of them!" Renji reported as he and ichigo reappeared beside Ikkaku, who had finished his ridiculous dance and was now yelling at Sado for wearing such a freaked out expression. "How's the kid?"

"She's fine." Rukia announced, and she straightened herself and cradled Nel in her arms, like she was a baby. "She was looking for her brothers."

"Like we're looking for Hitsugaya-taichou?" Yumichika inquired.

Rukia nodded and Nel scrambled up onto Rukia's shoulder in order to get a better look at her new company. She took in the jet-black uniforms and the katana hung at their belts and their lack of masks...and almost fainted from shock right then and there.

"Y-You're shinigami!" She screamed, jabbing a finger in Ichigo's direction. "You're bad guys!"

"Bad guys!" Ichigo scoffed. "We just saved your life!"

"Child," Yumichika said, and he rudely shoved Ichigo would of the way ("Hey! Don't push!"). "do you know anyone who would kidnap a shinigami?"

Nel glared furiously at Yumichika, with his weird bowl cut and his fancy pink-and-yellow feathers and his unnatural purple eyes, but after a warm glance from Rukia, Nel caved.

"I know one," She informed them slowly, and instantly all eyes were on her.

"Who?" Ichigo demanded.

"A red-haired man-thing that lives in the cliffs." Nel explained, and she raised a chubby finger towards the heavens, and each looked up in turn, and their wide eyes travelled up, up the towering slopes. Cracks ran through them like wrinkles in clothing, and caves were sprinkled across the dull grey surface. "He lives somewhere up dere."

"How are we going to find him?" Ichigo sighed. "We can't check all the caves."

"He comes out at night," Nel continued in an ominously low voice. "and kills 'ollows. When shinigami come here he drags them off and no one ebber seen from dem again."

"Night?" Ikkaku sounded sceptical. "Isn't it always night here?" His question, however, went ignored.

Yumichika's face was grave. "Never seen again?"

"Nebber!" Nel confirmed triumphantly.

"We'll have to wait until night," Renji decided. Then he cast a doubtful look at the roof. It stretched on forever, and only lest the faintest scraps of light through. And even then, it was only the luminous glow of the sliver of moon that hung eerily in the black sky. All in all, it wasn't very much. "if we can't tell the time, anyway." He added rather dryly.

"I just said that," Ikkaku huffed, offended.

"He'll come out eventually," Ichigo said confidentially. He needed to be confident. It was all they had to go on. "let's hide somewhere and wait. I'll go on first watch," He said quickly, before anyone else could volunteer themselves.

Tired and worn, the group huddled together in a small cave at the case of the cliff. It was a tight squeeze (for everyone but Rukia and Nel, anyway), and Renji found he was uncomfortably close to that feathery narcissist from the Eleventh. And that feathery guy wasn't overly pleased about the set up, either, but Yumichika didn't complain. Complaining wasn't beautiful, and Yumichika hated not being beautiful. Ikkaku nodded off pretty quick, to everyone but Yumichika's astonishment, and Nel snuggled up in Rukia's lap like a fuzzy little cat. Sado, big as he was, took up a lot of room, and found himself propped up against the wall with a good many of the zanpaku-to. Ichigo held Zangetsu close and his amber eyes flickered from side to side, alert for danger, as he sat outside on watch duty.

Time was still. Or so it seemed. There was no evident of the passing of day and night in the strange, crystalline forest they were trapped in. But when Ichigo felt sleep calling him, Sado eagerly took his place, and Ichigo compacted himself into a ball at the very back of the snug cave, and instantly dropped off.

As Sado stared wearily up at the 'sky', he couldn't help but wonder what was happening at the Soul Society. Surely, by now, their missing would've been noticed. Toshiro's and Renji's above all others. But Sado shrugged it off. There was no use worrying about something he couldn't change.

The hours ticked by. Yumichika swapped places with Sado; Ikkaku swapped places with Yumichika; Renji swapped places with Ikkaku; and Rukia swapped with Renji, despite his protests. He obviously in dire need of sleep, but his desire to keep Rukia happy and healthy won over his senses. So Rukia smacked him over the head and chased him into the cave, and warned him with icy eyes not to disturb Nel, lest he wake to find his spiky red hair had mysterious vanished.

Rukia plodded outside and sat down, and ran her delicate fingers through her raven locks. The lengths she would go for a friend amazed even herself sometimes. She gave herself a quick shake, and then grabbed her zanpaku-to in a tight grip and rested it on her knee, and her entire body went tense, alert for danger and ready for battle.

Unseen by Rukia, high, high above her head, hidden in the misty shadows of the cliffs, was a hollow, and its beady red eyes gleamed with malice as it stared down at the shinigami. And, suddenly, the hollow's skin began to flicker, to fade, and started to take on a different shape, leather giving way for skin, pale and smooth and luminous, and eyes of red giving way for eyes of blue, bright and cunning, and a waterfall of bouncing blond hair cascaded down its back. The stout limbs went long and slender, and five delicate fingers curled like claws. Hips formed, and a short skirt of white tinged blue lace swirled about it's thighs. A tank-top of bleach-white hugged the newly form torso shamelessly, and the top was low cut and revealed it's silky shoulders. The sleeves ran all the way along the creamy arms, caressing the skin, only to stop half way along the hands. It's thin dainty feet were wrapped in silk-socks and they slid effortlessly into high-heeled shoes of pure white, with glossy black lines running along the edge.

The hollow-now a young gir-l-examined the shinigami for a moment longer, its dark eyes calculating, and then she was gone, melting into her surroundings.

_Master_

0-0-0

"Huh?" The red-eyed, black-haired arrancar looked up, apparently searching for something, and Ulquiorra watched her closely, his emerald eyes curious; and cautious. Unease swelled in his stomach. Her red eyes were suddenly distant, blank and unseeing, and Ulquiorra knew she was using one of her abilities. She was communicating with one of _them._

Suddenly her face lit up, and with a squeal of glee she jumped out of her silky red chair and bounded over to Ulquiorra, and, like she always did, she took his rough hands in her own, and grinned down at him. He met her joyful gaze with his standard look of indifference.

"Ino-chan found them, Ulquiorra-chan!" She sang.

Ulquiorra's face remained unchanged. But inside, he was gaping. She had created a little arrancar army of her own via the hogyuku, consisting of four females. A blond ditz; a pink-haired fangirl; a fair-haired wind warrior; and a dark-haired weapons master, all scarcely older then herself. At first glance, they appeared harmless. But closer examination revealed something sinister and cruel.

"We'll kill them," She decided in that painfully girly voice of hers, but there was a noticeable edge, sharp as a knife, and just as deadly. "since Toshiro-chama isn't there. I don't want to kill Toshiro-chama. I want to play with him."

"I see." Was Ulquiorra's nonchalant reply.

Just then, a rapid sequences of bangs assaulted the door, and Ulquiorra looked up sharply. The she-arrancar giggled and skipped across the short distance, with her black hair fluttering with her movements, and she pulled the door open to reveal a very pissed of Grimmjow, with his hands buried in his pockets and his blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. Hate burned in their safire depths when he noticed Ulquiorra, and Ulquiorra stared emotionlessly back, secretly taking pleasure in Grimmjow's discomfort.

_Welcome to my world_

"Ulquiorra-chan," She said sweetly, "you go with Grimmjow-neko-chan and-"

"Whoa, hold on," Grimmjow barked, and the veins in his forehead were popping. Had Ulquiorra been a more open and talkative person, he would've snickered. Grimmjow absolutely loathed his nick-name. Grimmjow-chan he could have handle. But Grimmjow-_neko_-chan? No way. Just thinking about it infuriated the blue-haired Espada and Ulquiorra being there to witness his reaction didn't soothe his temper. Nor did the fact that he couldn't retaliate by giving her a nice big black eye with purple rings, just to put her in her place. Not that he could beat her up, anyway.

She was too strong.

"I am not going on any mission with _him_," Grimmjow declared firmly. Ulquiorra's thin eye brow rose ever so slightly. Grimmjow truly was as dense as they came.

"But I told you to," She said in a slightly distressed tone, and Ulquiorra's body went cold. Grimmjow hadn't heard the warning. To Grimmjow, she was just being stupid, whining about how he wouldn't be a good little kitty-cat and do what he was told. But to Ulquiorra, she was threatening his very existence, as her anger reared it's ugly head like an hungry shark, and her rage consumed her, darkness swirling in her eyes like shadows dancing across fresh blood.

"Well," Grimmjow hissed. "you'll just have ta-"

"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said quickly, suddenly, and Grimmjow looked at him in annoyance; and a little surprise. "Stop arguing and listen to what she was to say. To go against her is to go against Aizen-sama." _Stop. She'll kill you. Make her happy. She'll kill you._

Grimmjow grunted. But, to Ulquiorra's relief, he stopped speaking, and gave their nameless master a curt nod. She giggled, that angelic, chiming sound that sent shivers down Ulquiorra's spin, and she took Grimmjow's hand and ran over to where Ulquiorra sat, dragging him with her. Grimmjow's face twisted with open disgust and contempt. Ulquiorra shot him a look that spoke volumes, and Grimmjow looked away, skilfully masking his snarl with the dim lighting and his blue bangs.

It was amazing how quickly the Espada had learned to communicate through their eyes alone. A month ago, Grimmjow would've ignored Ulquiorra's voiceless request, or simply have not understood.

"Ulquiorra-chan, you and Grimmjow-neko-chan will go to _Menosu no Mori _and kill them!" She shouted victoriously, and her eyes shone. "The shinigami. But," She added quickly, and she held a fragile finger in Ulquiorra's face. "you can't kill Toshiro-chama. You _can't. _If you do, I'll have you boiled alive." She stated the threat so happily, and with such a huge smile, that it was easy to miss the evil hissing and spilling just beneath the surface. Ulquiorra didn't, though, and neither did Grimmjow.

"Yes, mistress." Ulquiorra said, his voice deep with respect, and he bowed his head slightly.

Grimmjow didn't say anything, just scowled at the ceiling, and refused to meet her bloody gaze.

She looked at each one in turn, and then, smiling broadly, she dismissed them. Ulquiorra's face was as blank as ever as he left, but he was a little curious by her suddenly sending them away. Ulquiorra had been at her side constantly since her awakening because Aizen had given him strict orders to do so, and she had appeared to relish in his company. She was a weird child.

_"Your hair is so cute!" _Was the first thing she ever said to him. Befuddled, he had simply stared at her with his green eyes slightly wide, and she played with his greasy locks with a look of utter bliss lighting her pale features. Very weird indeed.

"I don't like this," Grimmjow hissed once they had walked for a time in silence, and her room was far behind them, a distant, chilling memory burning in their minds. "She's up to something."

"She likes to play with things." Ulquiorra said coolly. Grimmjow shot in a puzzled look. Ulquiorra obliged him and explained. "She enjoys playing with peoples' lives. She plans to kill of the shinigami quickly, and then lure Hitsugaya Toshiro in. She wants to taunt him. Mock him. Play with his emotions."

Grimmjow arched a blue eye brow. "You sure know alot for a baby sitter." He remarked cheekily.

Ulquiorra stared at Grimmjow. "She talks about her plans. She asks me about my opinion often."

"That's just weird."

"Hn."

"What're we gonna do?" Grimmjow inquired.

Now it was Ulquiorra's turn to look puzzled. "What are you implying?"

Grimmjow made an exasperated noise, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Jesus, Ulquiorra, _wake up! _That little bitch is pushing us around and Aizen-sama just sits there on his throne and smiles the whole damn fucking day! I will _not _become her play thing! Nor Aizen's!"

"Yelling will do no good." Ulquiorra told him sagely.

"Well, neither will _staring!_" Grimmjow shot back. "We gotta do something!"

"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said slowly, and his pitch was dangerously low. "to go against her is to go against Aizen-sama. I'm not certain that even you, for all your bravado, are prepared for such an act."

Grimmjow lifted his lips in a sadistic smirk. "Wait and see."

* * *

_**! I own neither Bleach nor Naruto !**_

**Oh, geez. Sorry for not updating for so long. I've been busy, I guess *sad face* I got a blood test yesterday. I've had pains in the abdomen for almost three months now. There's something wrong with me...**

**But on a lighter note...82 reviews! Woot! Thanks, guys. I really love reviews. They make my day!**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

Ashido was on guard duty, and the Forest of Menos looked as bleak and lifeless as ever. Nothing ever changed there. The walls and floors and everything was always white, always stark, always blank. The Menos trudged along through the 'trees' with their beady red eyes burning with hunger, and the smaller, lesser hollow scampered around their gigantic feet, focused on simply surviving in the harsh environment they called home.

But...something had changed for Ashido.

Hitsugaya Toshiro, a shinigami from the Soul Society, had arrived, and for the first time in what seemed like a thousand years, Ashido felt hope as a fraction of the horrible loneliness was crushed by Toshiro's presence alone.

Ashido knew very little about Toshiro apart from his name. The boy was very vague about his position in the shinigami ranks. He was strong, very strong, Ashido could tell by the vastness of his reiatsu, but when asked directly, Toshiro would beat around the bush, and eventually avoid talking about his rank altogether. It was frustrating. Ashido desperately wanted to know if more shinigami could be following Toshiro into the darkness of Hueco Mundo, and that if it was at all possible that the suffocating loneliness he had dealt in for so long could be defeated once and for all-

_Tap_

Ashido's entire body tensed as he leapt off the ground and his hand flashed to the hilt of his zanpaku-to, and his back bent low, his shoulders hunched and his feet evenly spread, as he prepared himself for battle.

"Who are you?" He demanded icily of the female arrancar balancing on the edge of the cliff on dainty feet, the sharp heels of her shoes tapping steadily against the rock face. Down her back cascaded a somehow puffy pony-tail of thick blond locks, and her eyes were cold and blue and piercing, like daggers, digging into Ashido's forehead.

"Ino." She answered, and her voice was like a whisper, soft and high-pitched.

"Why are you here?" He questioned.

'Ino' was silent. She glanced at Ashido, studying his every feature, right down to the shallow lines that creased his face; and then suddenly she disappeared, faster then lightning, and reappeared right in front of Ashido, so close their noses almost touched. Ashido gave a violent start and lashed out with his sword, and the glinting blade sliced through the air, but Ino danced away and landed lightly on the ground a few feet away.

And then she was behind him, and in a flash a sword resting in a pale blue scabbard appeared in her hands. She ripped the sword from its scabbard and flung it forwards, and the blade carved into Ashido's arm. Blood splashed against the rocks.

Ashido gritted his teeth as pain seared through him and he stumbled backwards, and his vision momentarily clouded over, the blood loss getting to his head. He vaguely noticed Ino moving, and the pain was awful and fiery as she kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying. His body smashed against the rocky wall and he gasped in pain, and blood squirting out between his teeth, dripping down his chin. He slid down the wall and slumped against it, and blood poured from the gaping wound in his arm, pooling at his side.

Ino loomed over him, sword in hand, but instead of killing him like Ashido had expected, Ino crouched down and cupped her face in his hands. She stared intently into his eyes, blue locking with aqua, and Ashido found himself unable to look away.

He felt something touch his mind. Something cold, something sinister, and suddenly his world exploded into a rapid sequence of colours, blurs of blue and red and green and pink and orange. He saw six arrancar-like beings, fiery-haired man sprouting horns; a red-haired demon with a snake for a tail and monkey fur sprouting from his shoulders; a petite woman with rabbit ears; and three more equally horrific beings, with hollow masks and mocking sneers...

And suddenly the fiery-haired man was standing over him, and his bleach-white fingers were grasping Ashido's throat. The foggy haze clouding Ashido's mind vanishing and his strength returned, and with a strangled cry he lifted his sword and jabbed at the arrancar's arm. The arrancar, cursing, released him and jumped away, his long, orange hair flapping with his movements.

Ashido barred his teeth and growled like savage dog, and tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his arm, reminding the red head that he was indeed wounded. But...how had he been wounded again? He couldn't remember...everything was so hazy...it must have been the arrancar, he decided. Who else could have wounded him so severely?

The arrancar was a mass of bleach white skin and violent flashes of red. Its hands were clawed, and the clawed twisted inwards, as though they were gripping at the air. Two dark black lines ran vertically down its mask and two long tusk emerged from the top, curving elegantly into sharp, lethal spikes. It's orange hair was waist-length and wild, and flowed like liquid fire. It's eyes were beady and red and burned with a furious hunger and irrational rage.

An arrancar through and through, it seemed.

The arrancar suddenly lunged forward, claws flashes, and Ashido dived to the side, and the claws racked through his shihakusho, exposing the skin but leaving no marks. Ashido struggled to regain his balance and the arrancar took the chance and kicked out, aiming for Ashido's head. But the man dropped down and swung his sword at the arrancar's feet; and the blade gorged through the tough white flesh and severed the muscle tissue, and the foot clattered to the stone floor.

The arrancar through back its head and roared, a roar filled with pain and rage and hunger, and Ashido cringed backwards, though his face remained unchanged. And then another, higher sound spilt the air, like a shriek, and something petite and pale-skinned materialized behind the male-arrancar.

Ashido's aqua eyes widened in shock and horror.

Behind the male was a female arrancar, clad in tight-fitting white shorts and sleeveless shirt, with a thick black collar that covered her neck completely, and black gloves that left her finger tips visible, and dainty white shoes that hugged her skin, not really shoes but socks. Sprouting from her head of raven hair were skeletal rabbit ears, hollowed out and bleach white. At her waist was a sword wrapped in a standard scabbard.

She hissed at the male arrancar, her voice low and harsh and cold, and the man snarled back. He was leaning heavily against the wall as blood gushed from his horrific wound; and then the skin began to bubble, to sizzle and to hiss, and with a sickening squelch bones burst from the muscle and formed into the skeleton of a foot. Muscle appeared, veins criss-crossing over the bloody surface, and then skin formed, and was followed by the hard white shell, and, just like that, the arrancar's foot had returned.

Ashido gaped.

The female rabbit-arrancar thumped her feet against the ground and barred her teeth, showing off her sharp fangs, and the male arrancar sneered. Then she hissed and twitched her head in the direction of the forest, towards the shadowy depths. The male arrancar fell silent, and rage flared in his eyes, and the female's cheeks rose in a mocking grin. The male, reluctantly, stalked over to her, and he extended his arm to her. She snatched it between her tiny fingers.

Her reiatsu surged...and then they vanished.

0-0-0

"Urg..." Toshiro groaned, and he rolled over, and tossed his cloak off him, sitting up and stretching his tight muscles. His back ached and his head felt hot, and his mouth was dry. Where could one find some water down here? Ashido had never once mentioned water, even with all his talk of eating...

_**Good morning, Master, **_Hyourinmaru greeted him cheerfully. Too cheerfully. Annoyingly so.

_Morning, Hyourinmaru, _Toshiro grumbled and he leaned back on his hands and sighed, staring at the ceiling.

He had spent an entire day with Ashido. Or, at least, what he _guessed _was an entire day. During that time, Ashido told him as much about Hueco Mundo as he was willing, and Toshiro had sat in respective silent and nodded his head and widened his eyes at the appropriate times, patiently waiting for the elder men to finish.

When Toshiro had grown tired, Ashido proclaimed it night, and sent Toshiro to find a area to sleep while he kept watch. Toshiro offered to keep watch and insisted when Ashido refused. Frowning, Ashido agreed to wake Toshiro later. Toshiro seriously doubted the man would and he had been right; Toshiro had slept through the entire 'night' without being roused.

Stupid over-protective red-haired idiot.

Toshiro was a shinigami, too, abandoned his post or not. He could go without sleep for days! Paper work had only reinforced the standard shinigami trait!

Toshiro rolled his shoulders, wincing as his tense muscles screamed protests, and reached out and grabbed Hyourinmaru off the wall, and ran his fingers gently over the scabbard. Hyourinmaru made a sound alarming similar to purring as Toshiro brushed the dust and rock fragments away, his icy reiatsu washing over the tired sword. Hyourinmaru, it seemed, was fairing no better then Toshiro when it came to rest.

_Sorry, old friend, _Toshiro murmured sadly.

And then the sound of laboured breath and heavy steps reached Toshiro's ears and, whirling around and leaping to his feet and drawing Hyourinmaru in one swift motion, Toshiro tensed his body and stared wearily at the entrance, his azure eyes narrowed. Then a man clad in a deep black shihakusho stumbled into view, and Toshiro's breath caught in his throat.

"Kano!" He exclaimed, and he carelessly tossed Hyourinmaru aside and raced to help Ashido, just as Ashido's legs gave way and he tumbled towards the floor, his sword clattering uselessly against the stone. Toshiro caught him just in time, and the man weighed heavily against the smaller boy, and Toshiro laid him gently against the ground. Ashido's face was covered in sweat and dried blood crackled on his chin and arm; and fresh blood seeped from a deep, savage cut, and already the skin around it was turning purple as tiny blood veins burst beneath the surface.

"Shit," Toshiro cursed. Ashido's arm was completely saturated with blood, both drying and running; and Ashido's body was feeling the affects of the blood loss. Toshiro needed to act _now._

Quick as a flash, he summoned his reiatsu, and water formed in his palm, bubbling and shimmering, and he pressed it gently against the wound. The liquid seeped into the skin and washed the drying blood away, and Ashido barely suppressed a wince. Then Toshiro, calling on all his knowledge of healing kido, pressing his hands against the wound, and imagined Ashido's arm perfectly fine, at a hundred percent, free of cuts and bruises, its appearance unmarred by the sick, sleek crimson flow that gushed from the wound. The skin on his arm began to quiver, shivering, and then reached out, zig-zagging over the gap, and the muscle tissue bulged, sucking up the blood and churning together. And suddenly, just like that, the wound was gone, leaving nothing but a stretch of chalk-white skin surrounded by a purple stain, and Toshiro almost fell backwards, just managing to catch himself on his hands.

He let out an exhausted huff, and closed his eyes, breathing hard. He felt like all his reiatsu had just vanished, leaving him empty and weak.

_**Hmm, **_Hyourinmaru hummed from across the room. _**It seems you haven't improved in your healing kido in the slightest, Master. It still drains you completely. How pathetic. **_The dragon snickered.

_Shut up, _Toshiro snapped, twitching. He had never been very good with healing kido, despite once being a member of the Fourth Division, right back when he'd first joined the Gotei 13. He was a fighter, not a healer, and Unohana and Hyourinmaru both knew that very well.

Sighing, Toshiro shifted his position so he was sitting against the wall, and dragged Hyourinmaru off the ground, ignoring the dragon's heated complaints about the rough treatment, and laid it on his lap. His eyes fell upon Ashido's face, where lines of fatigue were etched into his features, and Toshiro sighed again.

Now what was he going to do? He would have to stay with Ashido. The man's wounds were healed, for the most part, but blood loss was serious and left you horribly weak, unable to walk or even stand in some cases, let alone fight off hungry hollows. Toshiro glanced out at the forest, and wondered where Ichigo and the others were; how they were doing, if they were still alive. Faintly, he could feel their reiatsu, Ichigo's being the strongest, and smiled weakly. They were still okay.

Unbeknownst to Toshiro, standing on a ledge high above them was a blond girl dressed in white, with her pale blue lace skirt fluttering about her thighs and her silky blond hair cascading over her bare shoulders, caressing affectionately against her chalky skin. Cunning blue eyes watched them a moment longer before suddenly disappearing as her shapes twisted and churning until what once had been a girl was a hollow with beady red eyes staring glassy out at the forest. With a strong kick, the hollow scampered off into the darkness, disappearing into the unknown.

0-0-0

_"Who are you?" A six year old Hinata wondered curiously as a small child stumbled towards her, eyes wide with fear and confusion. She was the same age as Hinata, with heavy, glossy black locks and eyes as red as fresh blood, but the ominous colour scared Hinata none. She was used to seeing people with strangely coloured eyes, with her own eyes being a pale shade of white-lavender._

_"Don't...know...no...name..." The red-eyed girl mumbled, and she threaded her fingers together and watched them intently, trying to force her thoughts to drift else where, to think of something other then the suffocating blackness that awaited her if this visit went wrong..._

_Hinata frowned sadly, and reached out and tapped the girl's cheek, white as chalk and icy to touch. The girl jumped, startled, and Hinata smiled cheerfully. _

_"How about Hitomi?" Hinata suggested, and she took the nameless girl's hands and held them tight between her tiny fingers, grinning from ear to ear, her chubby cheeks going rosy. "Hitomi-chan is cute!"_

_The girl stared at Hinata for a moment, silent, with only the whispering of the wind and the melodic chirping of the birds to fill the gap in conversation; and then she broke out into a grin, and then her red eyes swelled with tears, and with a cry of sheer glee she threw her arms around Hinata's neck, shaking free of her grip._

_"Okay!" She sang. "Hitomi! I'm Hitomi!"_

_Hinata giggled and hugged her back. "Hitomi-chan! I'm Hinata."_

_Hitomi pulled back and they held hands again, and the folds of their kimonos rustled and whispered as they moved away from the compound and towards the stream that wound its way through the grounds, the stream where Hinata often spent hours on end playing, a place where she could ponder over other things besides her father's bitter rage and harsh training and her mother's crippling illness and rapidly decreasing health._

_"I know." Hitomi murmured._

_Hinata blinked. "Huh?"_

_Hitomi smiled, and patted Hinata's cheek. "Nothing!"_

The red-eyed she-arrancar opened her eyes, and the crimson hues of her personal quarters assaulted them, a room drenched in red sheets, as though soaked with blood. She was sitting in her favourite chair, the big one with puffy arms and a high, squishy back, and she was gazing out into the silvery sands of Hueco Mundo with mild interest. A soft, gentle sigh slipped through her pale purple lips, and she threaded her fingers through her long, raven locks.

"Hinata-chama..." She whispered.

_The man that loomed over Hinata was wearing a sooty black hakama and a fluttering white haori, and it flapped in the breeze. His blond hair ruffled and shifted, and his intelligent grey eyes examined her closely, studying her every feature, right down to the hairs on the back of her neck._

_"Are you sure?" He said softly._

_Hyuuga Haru stroked her daughter's silky locks and nodded firmly, and her lavender eyes were ablaze with a fierce determination._

_"Yes." She replied in a voice thick with emotion, and Hinata looked up at her mother worriedly, lavender eyes swimming with questions and concerns._

_"Kaa-chan?" She said experientially, and she tugged slightly at the hem of her mother's kimono, hoping desperately for a response, but Haru ignored her attempts at communication and kept her fiery eyes locked with the man's._

_"It will work, won't it?" She demanded icily. "This will protect Hinata."  
_

_"Kaa-chan?" Hinata said again, and her voice was shaking, but again she was ignored._

_"It will." The blond man promised in a deathly calm voice, shadowing his sadness. "But her powers are vast. Trouble with eventually find her."  
_

_"But, at the very least," Haru sighed and, at last answering Hinata's plea, she swept her child into her arms and hugged her close to her chest. "she will be old enough to fight it."_

_"Perhaps," The man murmured, and he leaned forward and touched a hand to Hinata's forehead. Something hot and electric shot through Hinata's body and her mouth opened as a scream rose in her throat, but abruptly the pain faded, and the world around Hinata began to flicker and waver. And then she fell limp in her mother's arms, and, as the man withdrew his hand, connected to his finger was a string of silver energy, emerging from Hinata's forehead. He pulled it out and cupped it in his hand, and his eyes narrowed into slits as the energy swirled, chasing itself in his palm, until it formed a shimmering orb, glinting and glistening like seven suns._

_"Perhaps."_

Hitomi's red eyes burned with hatred. She would kill that man; rip him to pieces with her bare hands. She would. No matter what happened...

And suddenly the door to her quarters was bashed opened and, panting and cursing, some female arrancar appeared in the door way, a woman clad in the standard arrancar uniform of stark white, with a low cut shirt and a head of oily blue-black hair and odd-coloured eyes, one lined with blood red ink. Sweat glistened on her forehead and rolled down her smooth cheeks, and Hitomi frowned faintly, annoyed by her sudden appearance.

"Apache," A stern voice said, and a busty, chocolate-skinned she-arrancar appeared behind the shorter one, with her wild brown hair curling out in every possible direction, snaking down her back. "stop this! Harribel-sama-"

"Just shut it, Mila-Rosa!" The one called Apache snarled, and the brown woman, Mila-Rosa, twisted her features in rage and lifted her hand, posing as though to strike out at her comrade, but the fire in her eyes faded and she let her arm fall. She cast one terrified glance in Hitomi's direction before backing away, blending in with the shadows, where another woman stood, one with long, straight green hair and luminous purple eyes, and her hand was raised, hiding her mouth from view.

"Hello," Hitomi said cheerfully, and she bounced from her seat. "do you need something? Ulquiorra-chan isn't here, and I didn't call anyone to play, so I don't know-"

"Shut up!" Apache roared, and Hitomi cringed, shocked by her tone of voice. "Don't talk to me like I'm your freaking _play mate! _I'm here to put you in your place!"

"Apache-" Mila-Rosa began, but Apache cut her off with a low, menacing hiss, like metal scraping together, and Mila-Rosa's face went sober, her expression dark.

"You," Apache rounded on Hitomi and stormed forward, her face so electric with anger that Hitomi took an unconscious step back. "Harribel-sama was the strongest woman here until you showed up. You didn't even work for you power, if you even _have _any!" Apache spat venomously. "You just sit up here telling us what to do but, no, I won't put up with your shit any longer! And I will **not** allow you to order around Harribel-sama!"

"Tia-chan?" Hitomi mumbled to herself. She had only seen Harribel once or twice; and, true, she had ordered the busty blond to carry out some trivial errands. But Harribel had been emotionless through the entire procedure, cold and calm, like waves washing gently against the sandy beach shore. Not once had she questioned Hitomi's authority and had completed all set tasks to the best of her ability, leaving not a second to spare.

Hitomi frowned.

Harribel hadn't launched this attack.

This stupid woman was acting on her own, lacking the support of her sister arrancar.

Something dark and sinister flickered in the depths of Hitomi's blood red eyes. Something that triggered a sick sense of glee and brought a cruel smile to her lips. Her movements uncannily gracefully, she clapped her hands and threaded her slender fingers together, earning herself a furious glare from Apache, and a nervous glance from Mila-Rose. Beyond Mila-Rose, the other woman, currently nameless, simply watched with an expression of perfect indifference. Her eyes betrayed none of what she was feeling.

"It's Apache-chan, ne?" Hitomi giggled. "Okay. Apache-chan, go away. I don't like being interrupted. I like Tia-chan, so I don't want to kill her precious underlings-"

"Shut _up!_" Apache roared, and with inhuman strength she charged forward, face livid with rage, and she swung a punch, aiming to break something, anything, on Hitomi's face. But Hitomi dodged, ducking low and twirling around on the tips of her toes, and her smile never left her face. Apache cursed and kicked out, once, twice, thrice, and Hitomi jumped away, her glossy locks sailing through the air, and landed lightly on her toes. Then, in a lightning fast movement, Apache drew her weapon, a round blade with spikes emerging from the sides, and flung one at Hitomi, the blade glinting cruelly in the dim lighting. Hitomi gasped and stumbled backwards, but not before the blade slashed her cheek, and left it's mark in the form of a deep, throbbing cut.

"Apache!" Mila-Rose cried out and rushed forward and grabbed the smaller woman, crushing her in a restraining hug. Apache snarled and hissed and spat like a ticked off cat and tried to smash her foot into Mila-Rose's shins, but Mila-Rose kept her legs out of reach by holding Apache high off the ground, rendering her kicks powerless.

"That's enough," She hissed urgently. "you'll get yourself killed!"

"Oh, shut it!" Apache shouted. "She's treating Harribel-sama like her pet!"

"I don't like it either, but there's nothing we can do!"

"Urg! Let me go!"

"Shut up! You've done-...done enough..." Mila-Rose trailed off and her eyes went dull, losing their flare, and the air around her was heavy as bricks and dragged her shoulders down. Her body sagged, her legs robbed of their strength, and she and Apache crumbled as one mass, the colour draining from their faces. Outside, Sun-Sun's purple eyes widened in alarm, and she took an urgent step forward, intending to assist them, but then the sheer pressure of Hitomi's reiatsu came crashing down and she crashed to the floor, her breathing suddenly laboured. The air felt somehow wet, thick like liquid, making it difficult to breath in.

"You _cut _me," Came Hitomi's infuriated hiss, and her expression was twisted painfully, eyes sizzling and limbs shaking with rage. Blood trickled down her cheek and splattered against her clear white garments, staining them red.

"You _cut _me, you _cut _me," She repeated those words like a mantra, and, though it seemed impossible, her anger was actually growing. The air seemed to be solidifying, suffocating the three helpless arrancar trembling against the smooth, glassy titles.

All but Apache, anyway.

She was trembling, sure, but not out of fear. She would die before she allowed herself to be even slightly intimidated by the child standing over her, suffering from a serious fit. No freaking way.

"I-if you're looking for an apology," Apache said and there was a sharp, victorious edge to her voice. "then you gonna be sourly disappointed."

Hitomi snapped.

In a flicker of raven-black reiatsu, her finger nails went dark, almost grey, and elongated into claws, and they were very nearly the size of her forearm. Her eyes flashed a vampric gold, but there was something strangely animal-like about her pupils, stretching out and dilating, faintly resembling the eyes of a cat.

Apache and Mila-Rose only had a moment to stare in utter horror at her newly grown claws before they came down on their heads, and sliced straight through their skulls, like a knife through butter. A great load of blood burst from the wound, creating something akin to a fountain, and the blood was joined with a number of grimly coloured body parts, a mass of pink-grey flesh and bleach white skull, clattering against the now bloody titles. As one, the two women's now lifeless bodies went limp and fell in an unmoving heap, blood seeping ominously from the grotesque gouge that had once been their heads.

Outside, Sun-Sun gaped, fear pulsing through her, but, astoundingly, her body refused to function. Whether it was Hitomi's reiatsu or the gore oozing across the floor, Sun-Sun wasn't sure, but neither was helping her current predicament. So, unable to flee to the safety of Harribel-sama's side, she simply lay, staring, and waited for Hitomi to decide whether her life was worth sparing or better off snuffed out.

Apparently, Hitomi had exhausted her brief flare of rage, and almost unconsciously reeled her deadly claws back in. The dangerous light left Hitomi's eyes, and they went back to their usual scarlet without so much as her blinking, and they served her damage, the wreckage reflecting in her eyes.

"Hey," She said, and for a moment, Sun-Sun wondered who she was talking to. Both Apache and Mila-Rose were dead, so trying to provoke a response from them was ridiculous. Then she realized Hitomi was talking to her, as she was the only other person alive.

"H-hai?" She stammered.

"Go tell Tia-chan to come clean this up." She commanded, and then, with a flap of her dress, she swept out of the room and charged down the hall like a tsunami, surging towards the shore line.

0-0-0

It was during Ichigo's watch that the group of shinigami (and human) were attacked on all sides.

Ichigo leapt to his feet the moment the sickening reiatsu of a hollow prodding his field of awareness, and tugged Zangetsu free of its encasing bandages, sending them swirling and twirling through the air, just as the hollow lumbered into view. It was noticeably large, with a bat-like form, two leathery black wings slapping at the air in what looked like a great attempt to keep its muscular body afloat. Its vast jaws snapped in silent fury as it sped towards him, the intent to rip him to shreds burning in its beady red eyes.

Ichigo darted forward, low on his hunches like a prowling tiger, and the hollow swerved downwards and ripped its jaw wide, roaring at a deafening level. At the last second, Ichigo kicked at the ground and forced himself back, leaving the startled hollow room to plough itself into the stony earth. Then he swung his sword in a large arc, and sliced straight through it's mask, and watched, sword resting on his broad shoulder, as it materialized into nothingness.

His amber eyes flickered to the sides and, seeing nothing, he allowed himself a small victory smile.

"Alright," he muttered to himself. "back to guarding-"

And suddenly another hollow was there, a hollow with its features consorted terribly, its skin stretched too tight against its bulging muscles, and with one great swipe of its tail, Ichigo was sent flying, leaving a sizable creator in his wake. He slid down the wall but managed to regain his footing and quickly slipped into his battle stance, with Zangetsu pointing menacingly towards the target.

The hollow observed him for a tense few seconds, before throwing its head back and screaming bloody murder, and Ichigo cringed. In a flash, hollows of all shapes and sizes seemingly melted out from the darkness, rolling their shoulders and twitching their tails, as though shaking away the few lingering shadows. Ichigo's eyes went only wider and wider as the sea of hollows spread further and further towards the sandy sky, with the dense shroud that was their reiatsu falling almost bodily upon his shoulders.

"Shit," he cursed.

In the cave, the dark reiatsu began to cause the others to stir. Nel's big eyes popped open, and a look of sheer horror crossed her face, and she let out a shriek that caused Rukia to jump ten feet in the air, face pale with shock.

"N-Nel?" She spluttered, while Renji jolted out of his sleep and whacked Yumichika in the process, who's sparkly eyes fluttered open in the most beautiful way possible, and Ikkaku rolled over onto his side, scratching his chest. Sado blinked himself into reality, and his expression turned stony as he noticed the reiatsu.

"Hollows," He murmured, and Renji nodded to him in silent confirmation.

"Nel, what's wrong?" Rukia demanded as the aqua-haired child began to wail in her arms, rolling back and forth wildly, erratically, as though trapped in some horrific nightmare. She blubbered out a load of unintelligible gibberish, in which the words 'capture' and 'brothers' reappeared a number of times as her words tumbled over each other. Rukia let out a soft exasperated cry as her confusion and alarm soared right over her head.

"Renji," she turned to the crimson haired man, and he was already grasping for his sword, nudging Sado out of the way with a rude jab in the ribs. "what's going on?"

"Hollows," Renji replied nonchalantly, but that was all Rukia needed to here. Bundling the sobbing Nel in her arms she reached out and snatched her own sword of the wall, and left Nel to fill the gap. The others rushed past her, swords at hand, and disappeared into the battle beyond.

"Nel," Rukia said in the gentlest tone she could summon, lightly shaking the girl's shoulder. Nel eyes were electric with fear, but, somehow, she managed to push aside her hysteria and at least partly absorb what Rukia was saying. "You need to stay in here. Understand? It's too dangerous for you to go out there-"

"_Rukia!_"

Rukia blinked, surprised by Renji's sudden call, but no sooner had she processed this information did a blinding red light fill her vision, and the burning agony of a cero boiled in her blood. Rukia screamed out in pain as she was brutally bashed against the wall with Nel held tight against her chest, shielding from the past by her body. Her skin felt like it was being cooked, hissing and spitting, as the full blast of the cero's energy clawed and dug and gouged into her back-

And suddenly the ground gave way and she was being pulled away by a strong hand. But her body went weak, pain numbing her senses, and for a moment everything was hazy, a white, nauseating fog settling on the world. Then an icy cold, tingling sensation washed over her back, and Rukia shuddered, and the blurry fog was suddenly snuffed out. She blinked one, twice, then gave a gasp and whipped round, only to wince as pain coursed through her.

"Don't move," Renji hissed. "I'm not done."

"A-are you healing me?" Rukia gasped incredulously. "You? Abarai Renji?"

"Shut up," Renji snapped. "I'm almost done."

Rukia, settling down and allowing Renji to do his work, quickly assessed the situation, and discovered Renji had ripped a whole through the wall, tugging Rukia and her sword through, which now rested on Rukia's lap, held tightly between her tiny fingers. The force of the cero had caused their little hide-away to crumble into non-existence, something which Rukia wasn't particularly upset about, since had sucked in the first place.

They now sat in what was not so much a cave but an ally way of sorts, concealing them from the raging battle but giving him a bird's eye view of it; Ichigo and Ikkaku raced as one terrifying mass to slice and slash at the hollow, only to have the wave replaced with another, just as fierce and blood-thirsty. Yumichika danced through the blood field with his multi-bladed sword moving as a black-grey blur, and Sado punched hard at the air, sending a brilliant blue ball of pure reiatsu hurtling towards the attacking hollow. And Nel-

Nel was no-where to be seen.

"Nel!" Rukia screamed, and she jumped up and ignored both the prickling pain in the base of her back and Renji's heated protests. She searched the area with her eyes desperately, but she saw nothing but rocks and shadows, nothing even faintly resembling the aqua-haired arrancar.

"Nel! Where are you, Nel! _Nel!_"

"Rukia, calm down!" Renji shouted as he stood. "I'm sure she's fine-"

"Renji! Rukia!" Ichigo appeared outside the newly made cave door, and his face was absolutely livid, with deep red blood that was not his own dripping off his chin. "Get your asses out here!"

"Nel!" Rukia shot back. "Nel's gone!"

"Deal with it later!" Ichigo snarled back, shocking both with his rage. "There's no end to these hollows! Chad's injured, and we can't-"

But before he could finish a hollow the size of his house reared up, dropped its jaw and fired a cero the colour of fresh blood, devouring all three in its fiery blast. A moment later they broke free of the fiery beam with their clothing steaming and blood oozing between their teeth, but relatively unharmed.

Rukia landed unceremoniously atop a short ledge with barely enough room for her, of all people, to stand. Her violet eyes flashed from left to right, and dread swelled in her stomach. There were hollows everywhere; they covered every inch of the stone walls, sweeping across the landscape, like a page from Hell. A thousand pair of bloody red eyes seemed to latch onto her form as one, and Rukia, swallowing hard, took hold of her zanpaku-to and attempted vainly to prepare herself for the blood-shed that was about to come.

0-0-0

High above them, Toshiro awoke with a start as the cave shuddered with aftershocks, causing dust and pebbles to rain down from the ceiling. Toshiro gave himself a quick shake, forcing his senses to awaken to reality, before leaping up and speeding to the cave mouth. Before he even reached it, the horrible black cloud of the hollows' reiatsu pressed ominously against his senses, and, eyes narrowed, he peered around the bend and cursed.

Hollows! Everywhere! What in world was happening?-

"Kurosaki!" He gasped, just as Ichigo's form bounded into view with what seemed to be a hundred hollows chasing after him. Ichigo fired Zangetsu in a feeble attempt to destroy the mass, but only two or three fell victim to his attack, and the rest surged on. Toshiro reached for Hyourinmaru and made to rush into the fray, but a quite, strangled cough forced him to stop.

"Kano," he whirled round and his turquoise eyes immediately fell on the carrot top's unmoving form. His face had regained some colour but he still looked furiously ill, with dark purple bags circling his eyes and sweat running streaks through his skin. Ashido couldn't fight off even the weakest of hollows in this condition. Toshiro's ever present frown hardened. What was he-

Kido! Toshiro darted outside the cave and then placed his fingers upon the cold stone surface, and muttered an incantation under his breath. His fingers began to glow a dull blue that gradually strengthened as he whispered more of the complex verses.

"_Kyomon_." He finished.

For a brief, fleeting moment, a bright orange shield was visible as it curved across the opening and sealed it tight; and then, as quickly as it had come, it vanished, but Toshiro knew it was still there. It wasn't the strongest shield, but it would be enough to keep out low-level hollows, and hopefully keep Ashido inside; he was, after all, in no condition to fight, so, even if he had been conscious, he shouldn't be able to come barging through the shield like Hinamori had, back when she's still assumed Toshiro had murdered Aizen.

And with that he turned and threw himself over the ledge.

The moment he vanished, a high-heeled foot clapped softly against the earth, and a creamy-skinned leg followed, with a lacy blue skirt fluttered by the thighs. Ino marched into the light, the slightest of smiles playing on her silky lips, as she gazed through the shield and watched as Ashido began to rouse from his sleep, his sub-conscious senses spiking at the presence of hollows. She glanced at Toshiro, charging off into the battle and despatching hollow after hollow with a simply flick of his sword, and then, her movements elegant and smooth, she tapped her finger against the shield and it shattered into a million pieces, like broken glass.

She wandered in, and her fingers danced across the man's grave wounds, and suddenly the arm was good as knew, and his cheeks flushed, the colour rapidly returning, his strength in tow.

Ashido's eyes opened, sharp and battle-ready, but Ino was already gone.

0-0-0

Matsumoto gazed sadly at the pale, narrow sky of the Soul Society, with her chin resting on her hand and her wavy strawberry locks cascading down her shoulder, twisting and twirling, and her icy eyes were far away.

It felt like years had passed since Toshiro had up and left. Where, no-one was completely true, but any sane and knowledgeable person could guess. He'd gone to Hueco Mundo in search of Hinata, his personal damsel in distress, and he'd dragged Kuchiki, Ichigo, Ikkaku and Yumichika alone with him, off into the alien realm of hollows. At times, Matsumoto fretted constantly over their well beings, her thoughts mostly revolving around her baby captain; but, at other times, she wished the four death, her rage was so intense and fiery and irrational that she couldn't think straight. Immediately afterwards she would feel defeated and exhausted; and more then a little bit guilty.

He could have told her, she thought bitterly. Toshiro. He could have informed her about this little plan of his. This great big show he was putting on. Was Hinata really _that _important? To risk everything he'd worked for? Surely, that couldn't be the case. But why else would he have left his haori..?

Matsumoto sighed, a soft, whispering sound that left her body sagging.

"Why?" She muttered darkly. "Why does everyone leave without saying a word to me...?"

"H-Hitsugaya-taichou is nothing like Ichimaru-taichou, Matsumoto-san!" A shaky voice piped, and Matsumoto, startled, whirled round to see the blond, blue-eyed form of Kira Izuru standing by the door, and his hand was resting on the frame. His eye brows were furrowed and his expression was tight, and a gentle smile caressed Matsumoto's lips.

"I know, Kira," She murmured, and she flicked her wrist, granting him permission to enter. He did so slowly, his steps cautious and tentative, and Matsumoto placed her chin once again on her hand and stared glassily out at the Seireitei, a glistening mass of golden roofs and stark white walls. "I know."

"Soi Fon-taichou sent word out to the taichou and fuku-taichou," Kira started, shifting awkwardly. He took a few hesitant steps into the room and softly closed the door behind him. "but the Hell Butterfly never reached you..."

"I turned it away, actually." Matsumoto chuckled. "I wasn't in the mood for bad news."

"But it wasn't bad news," Kira argued weakly. "she knows for sure that Hitsugaya-taichou went to Hueco Mundo."

"I was already sure of that myself," Matsumoto shot back.

"...I-it also seems," Kira continued uneasily, "that Sado Yasutora-san accompanied them. Hitsugaya-taichou and the group."

Matsumoto's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, the only indication that she was listening to the nervous vice-captain at all.

"Ah." She said mildly.

Kira stared at the back of her head incredulously, longing to say something, to shout something, that might heave her from this revive that she had fallen into, but his mind was blank, and his determination shrived and, helpless, he looked away and glared at the ground, his fists balled and trembling.

Why was he so useless? He couldn't help her at all-

And suddenly the door was flung open and a panting Hisagi appeared, his face dripping with sweat and his chest heaving. Matsumoto jumped up, snapping out of her depressed haze, and Kira straightened, muscles tense and alert for danger.

"Shuhei, what's wrong?" Matsumoto demanded urgently and she darted forward, gripping the man's shoulder and steadying him as his legs wobbled dangerously. Her eyes flickered over his form, and to her horror she saw several angry red cuts and deep purple bruises, scarring his arms and legs and what little torso was exposed. "And what the hell happened to you?"

"K-Kuchiki-taichou," Hisagi rasped. "Kuchiki-taichou has gone _crazy. _He's trying to leave the Soul Society."

"Kuchiki-taichou is?" Kira blurted.

Hisagi nodded firmly. Matsumoto took hold of his arms and led him over to the coach, where he slumped against the soft fabric and let out a sigh of relief, all the stress and pain melting from his features.

"Why? What's wrong with him?" Matsumoto inquired as she examined the vice-captain, her eyes flashing over his wounds. There was one particularly red cut that bothered Matsumoto, just below the centre of his upper left arm, and blood dabbled the edges. She eyed it anxiously.

"He wants to go to Hueco Mundo and find Rukia-san," Hisagi explained and his voice was slightly strained, slightly hoarse, and Kira quickly fetched him some water, which he sucked down without missing a breath. "but Yamamoto-so-taichou refuses to let him go. And he just _snapped._" Hisagi shuddered. "I've never seen Kuchiki-taichou so furious before. He was about to activate his bankai when Soi Fon-taichou and Komamura-taichou arrived."

"His _bankai!_" Matsumoto gasped, and her eyes popped wide. "That would have killed everyone there!"

"Like I said," Hisagi said bitterly. "he was seriously ticked off."

"God," Kira breathed. "how would he react is Rukia-san ended up dying?"

"Don't talk like that," Matsumoto snapped, and her voice was harsher then intended, making Kira flinch. "she'll be fine. They all will be."

At least, she desperately hoped so.

* * *

_**! I own neither Bleach nor Naruto !**_

**Okay...I'm so, so, _soooooo _sorry that I haven't uploaded in so long, but hopefully I made up with this long chap! I was half-finished this when suddenly I found myself unable to fight anything Bleach/Naruto related...and all I could think about was Tsubasa! **

**I got the blood results back. Apparently, I'm fine, but I'm still getting pains -_-; It's very annoying. The doctor wasn't all that, um, with what was going on either. He took a minute to remember whether it was my mum or me who had the problems...I'm starting to get paranoid...**

**Anyway, next chapter everything will be cleared up! Most of it, anyway. The she-arrancar finally has a name! And, heh, I find it kind of funny, but I named her Hitomi a few weeks before I discovered that Hitomi means 'beautiful eyes' or something in Japanese xD The bit with Matsumoto at the end was just to tell you guys what was going on the Soul Society. And, no, sorry, but Matsumoto and co. aren't going to get involved in Toshiro's heroics :[ They're staying where they are. But Yoruchi, Urahara, Ishida and Orihime, currently side characters, will make their dramatic entrances soon enough! And Hitomi's killing Apache and Mila-Rose isn't just a random act of violence: it does have a lot of relivence in the plot.**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	23. Writher's Block SUCKS

**WRITER'S BLOCK SUCKS!**

**Hi, everybody. Another author's note, sorry.**

**For quite a while now, I have been unable to write. Anything. Which is why none of my stories have been updated recently. The chapters just DON'T WANT TO BE WRITTEN! I hate writer's block. It's bitten me and won't let go.**

**So...I wouldn't hold your breath for a new chapter. Sorry, guys. I'll keep trying! But please don't give up on _Lavender Lily _yet. I'm having so much fun writing it. I just need to defeat this stupid writer's block, and then I'll get right on track. **

**Thanks for all your support! ^^**


	24. More Bad News

**More Bad News...**

**Hello, guys. I'm so, so sorry for the fact I haven't updated ANY of my stories for God knows how long =( But, sadly, I've got some more bad news. **

**I've lost just about all interest in Bleach. I'd lost interest in Naruto a while back, but I managed to keep writing with Hinata because she was my fav character, and I liked Toshiro and Bleach. But now...well, I've just lost interest, really. I can't write anything Bleach and/or Naruto related.**

**I'm sorry, but you're in for a really, _really _long wait for an update on any of my stories - assuming I update at all. I'll try. I will!**

**Again, I'm really sorry. I know how frustrating it is to wait for an update of a story you're enjoying. It kills. I don't wanna be the person that drops a story people like and are waiting to be finished...so I'll try and write _something_. But don't hold your breath.**

**Sincerely, insanitywetrust.**


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